Everyday Magic
by NightmareWalker
Summary: 'It was nothing but fear and ignorance that drove us into the war; and Weavers paid the price.' Feared and ostracized by his own family and community, one man begins a journey to protect and teach others like him, and in doing so, connects two people in the most unlikely, and intimate, of ways. Slow burn Jori, don't like, don't read! T for the moment, changes later on.
1. Journey's Start

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my new fic, it's been about 3 months in the making so I could get a ways ahead for you guys. This is a story about Tori and Jade, but there will be other pairings, as well as several OCs of my own making. It's also a slow burn since I'm starting when everyone is toddlers and romantic love at that age is not feasible, but don't worry, dudes and dudettes! There will be Jori action at some point in the near future and even when there isn't, I hope you enjoy the story, which contains actual plot!

I don't own Victorious, although I've been asking Santa for a while now...he still hasn't gotten back to me. I do, however, own the Seer and Sikowitz's parents, short though their appearance may be.

Anywho, enjoy!

* * *

He came kicking and screaming into the world. Tiny fists still wet waved wildly in the air and a rousing cry vocalized his indignation with being abruptly forced from his mother's warmth and into the much cooler September air. The midwife cut the umbilical cord and set it by the floor to take outside and began cleaning the child, working efficiently. There had been no problems, thank the heavens. There had been enough difficult births this year, never a good sign in her opinion. In all her decades as a midwife, she'd never seen so many-

Her internal rant cut off when the baby opened his eyes and wailed again. His mother leaned wearily onto her elbow and asked what was wrong and still she stared, transfixed by the silver eyes that met her own for a moment before closing again. "Miss, he's-he's been touched by the Devil!"

"What are you talking about," her husband asked, confusion written in his tone.

"The babe, he's got the mark of the Devil in his eyes! I'll not have any more to do with him! Get him out of this house, be rid of the Devil spawn before he turns on you!"

The man took a threatening step in her direction and growled, "Get out of my house, you superstitious old hag. I'll not have you tainting this birth with your inane rambling. Get out!" He cried, pointing with a long finger at the door. The midwife gladly took her leave, gathering her supplies and stalking from the home after making the sign to ward off the Devil and his agents, leaving the man and his wife to their own devices. He haltingly finished cleaning the baby and wrapped him clumsily in a blanket before handing him to his wife. She gathered him tenderly into her arms and talked quietly to him as her husband looked proudly on.

She gasped suddenly and pressed trembling fingers to her son's face and he curled his brow in worry. "Is there something wrong?"

"He's," she sighed and looked at him sadly, pleadingly, "he's got the mark, husband. Silver eyes." The baby cried again, throwing his head back and showing bright silver orbs to his father as though daring him to do as the midwife had said.

The man ran a hand over his stubble and looked into his wife's teary eyes. "What silver eyes? I see nothing but a normal, healthy boy with his mother's eyes." With those words, he leaned over and pressed a kiss first to his son's temple, avoiding a tiny fist with a chuckle, and then his wife's warm forehead and her lips briefly. "Our boy, Erwin."

"Yes, our boy. Our normal, adorable boy." She looked at Erwin tenderly as he shook a small fist and cried for his mother's breast and watched her husband take his leave from her bedside as she shifted the strap of her nightgown and let him begin to feed. "Our normal boy..."

* * *

The first sign they had that Erwin wasn't normal was during his fifth year. He had been banging a couple spoons together in the kitchen while his mother chopped vegetables when she heard a cry. Looking up, she saw Erwin had a gash just over his eye from a spoon bouncing and hitting him. She wiped her hands on her apron and was going to lift him up when his eyes glinted with silver as he cried out and the spoon was flung away without him touching it, banging against the cupboard while her disbelieving eyes tracked between it and her son. Erwin yawned hugely and reached tiredly for his mother, resting his head against her shoulder as she rocked him to sleep with wide eyes staring down at him.

After the first time, he began weaving more often, little spells that no one would notice unless they saw them every day. His parents told him to not practice in front of anyone other than them, shaking their heads at him whenever company came over. Erwin became a quiet little boy, slow to anger and a fast study. Although he knew nothing of how to properly access spells he learned to improvise, speaking short phrases and feeling the silver slip into his eyes as he brought the warmth in his chest to his hands.

He grew into a gangly youth and was labeled as a loner, always seen with his nose buried in some book from the dusty recesses of the library or mumbling to himself quietly as he walked around town. People tended to think him simple and then were amazed when he opened his mouth and spoke more intelligently than they could, earning respect from the elders and jealous looks from his peers.

* * *

He was fifteen when they came for him, men with weapons drawn and wary eyes, circling him like hyenas. He asked what they were doing and one lunged at him, scraping his arm with a sickle before retreating again. Erwin cried out and tried to run but the men had formed a veritable wall, blocking him from all sides with their dangerous weapons bared. Another moved to wound him and he acted without thought, holding his hands up to defend himself from the knife edge that would surely take his hand from his wrist. When the blow never came, he looked warily out from behind his defensive position to see the man flat on his back, chest heaving as he fought for air. A cry sounded from behind him somewhere and he was suddenly flat on his stomach, a heavy weight pressed against his back. He struggled to get up and went slack when the man on his back hit the back of his head with his weapon.

When he came to, he was shackled to a chair, hands bound tight to the arms and gagged so he could hardly breathe. He looked wildly around and saw a dozen men standing in a ring around him. The one in front stepped forward and said, "You are Erwin Sikowitz, yes?"

Erwin nodded slowly, trying to ask around the gag what was going on. "You, Erwin Sikowitz, are accused of witchcraft by the people of this village, said to have fallen to the viper's blood on the 26th of May." Erwin tried to protest but the man just spoke over his jumbled groans and continued.

"As is custom since the Witch Wars ended twenty six years ago, you shall be branded and cast from this and every other community. Have you any last request?" Erwin continued to rant, muscles pulling taut across his arms as he fought his restraints. His eyes suddenly shone silver and his clothes fluttered on an impossible breeze, shackles glowing red as the links began to melt.

A man off to the side suddenly broke rank and hit him hard across the face, rendering him insensate. "God damned silver eyed viper!" He cuffed him once more, drawing blood from his temple as a ring split his skin. Erwin shook his head to clear the dizziness and tried once more to speak around the gag but the man turned from him and signaled to a couple men to the side. One turned and grabbed a branding iron from the pit they had dug, red hot metal gleaming in the moonless night. Erwin struggled wildly, straining against the partially melted shackles but only managed to make a lot of noise as the men approached him. Two held each of his arms, palms up as the other came closer, face shining demonically in the reflected luminescence of the brand.

White hot pain lanced from his palms and raced up his arms, straining his tendons tight as he screamed through the gag. His head lolled crazily to one side and then the other as he fought to free his arms but the men held him strongly as first one, then the other palm was branded with a scorching impression of an archaic S overlaid by a slit pupiled eye. As the man removed the brand from his palm, Erwin passed out, falling into welcoming blackness.

* * *

Erwin stumbled along the wide trade route, bare feet dusty and bloody from tripping on stones and palms crudely bandaged. He mumbled as he walked, more delirious than sane at that moment. The pain in his hands drove him to near madness and he would randomly begin swearing and screaming, the occasional passerby giving him a wide berth on the dirt trail. Erwin cradled his injured hands close to his chest and continued down the path, trying to find solace from the pain. He cried out when the pain flared suddenly, hands clenching in reflex before he released them and he called out again, wishing with all his might that something would take the pain away. He fell to his knees as the ache intensified and then onto his side, dirt scraping upon his cheek as he fell unconscious.

When he woke he was under a thin blanket on the ground, uncomfortably warm in the midday heat. He sat up, placing his hand on the earth to ground himself as a wave of nausea threatened to upset the meager contents in his stomach. "You shouldn't do that, you've not enough strength in you right now to walk, let alone sit up."

Erwin twisted to see a woman of indeterminable age crouched by his makeshift bed, kind green eyes appraising him. "Where," his voice croaked and broke and he cleared his throat before trying again. "Where am I? Who are you?"

"You're near the road where you fell, who I am doesn't matter, we will not know each other long enough for names to mean anything." She held up a bowl full of some thin liquid and asked if he would eat. "You need the strength, you've a long journey ahead."

She slowly fed him and then gave him some water before gently easing him back on the ground and pressing a finger to his temple. She spoke quietly and Erwin found his eyes closing against his will. _No, I want...questions answered..._

* * *

He groggily awoke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and sitting up, displacing the blanket and supplies that had been stacked beside him. He looked over what there was, some food, a bedroll, a pouch with a few coins and a pack with little odds and ends, as well as a thick tome, in it. A note was laid beside it all and he read it silently, marveling over what he found.

The woman wrote that she was like him, although she called herself a 'weaver.' Erwin contemplated the title curiously as continued to read. She told him that she had seen him coming 'in her mirror' and knew she had to help him.

'My mirror points to the correct way, although we might not know what that way is until we've already traveled it.' _What nonsense does this woman spout? Her mirror points to the correct way, is she mad?_ Nonetheless, he continued perusing the paper. She told him that he had been foolhardy to attempt such a powerful summoning spell in his weakened state but that in time he could become quite strong. She gave him several techniques she used to practice and told him to not give up.

'There are many more of us out there, many children that will be tossed to the side like refuse because they have been touched by silver fire. Find them, young one, and teach them.' Erwin stared hard at the last lines and his brow furrowed in confusion as he dug his hand into the soft dirt beside him. _My hands!..._ Baring his palms, he saw the brand was still there but they no longer looked like fresh burns, inflamed and swelled. Instead, smooth pink flesh surrounded the black marks, itching as though it were still healing and tender to touch.

He marveled at them until the sun began its descent and shook himself out of his reverie, gathering everything the woman had left and tucking the pouch into his shirt, placing the pack on his back. He climbed up the bank, through the bushes that concealed him, and onto the road, startling a feral cat that had been sniffing at a leaf. It tore down the road before scurrying into the bushes and Erwin shrugged, following its path south. _Might as well start somewhere._

* * *

So, there you have it...the prologue of Everyday Magic. Just a little insight into their world, which is a little magical, a little normal. In case you didn't get it, this is all from Sikowitz's perspective for the moment, although once the girls have been introduced and have grown into themselves a little more, the story will switch to their POVs.

Questions, concerns, and critiques may be directed to the dark haired lady in the corner *waves shyly* and any flames will be handled accordingly *readies fire extinguisher* To everyone who leaves a review, a complementary cookie will be given and ideas will be readily accepted and mulled over. I love hearing from you guys and reviews make my world go 'round. Till next time, bye!


	2. A New Family

Here's the second installment of Everyday Magic! How're you guys doing so far? Any gaping plot holes that already need addressing? *holds up shovel* No? Great! Not much to say, I've been happily writing when I get the chance; the plot bunnies are bountiful right now *pets fuzzy bunny* Also had two very close encounters the past week, one involving a car being T-boned fifteen feet ahead of me on a snowy road, and another when a truck rolled onto its side forty feet ahead of me into the snowbank, downhill, on a shitty snowy night. Very, very close encounters, just glad everyone involved was alright both times and everyone escaped unscathed. Anyway, onto the reviews!

Azkadellio- I'm glad you don't mind slow burn, 'cause this is definitely within that definition of the term. I'm revealing nothing, other than to say that you've got to read in order to find out! *cackles evilly* I'm very glad you're enjoying the story, even with just the prologue out for viewing! Thanks again for the OC, as well, he'll show up in five or six chapters, I think.

ScottyBgood- Hopefully this keeps your interest. It's going to take a while for anyone to become proficient in any sort of weaving, and won't play a pertinent part for a little while yet. I'll eventually begin stressing the weaving more as the story progresses, but for the moment it's taking background to the more important setup of the story. Hope you enjoy!

Victorious Rox101- Glad you like it!

Jeremy Shane- You get what you get, dude. I'm stingy that way, although I may be persuaded with in depth reviews and promises of presents ^w^

TimelessReader- Glad you are intrigued by the different take on the magical world. It's going to be a long ride, but I hope I keep your interest.

Jessmi1- I love fantasy too, that was part of the influence for this fic, and who doesn't love Victorious? Great cast, fantastic characters, just a great show. The story will begin in Sikowitz's POV, probably for the first seven chapters or so. I've got set up a few things and introduce more important characters and develop them before I can switch POVs, but I promise we will see things from someone else's view soon enough! The characters will be essentially the same, after a fashion. They're going to have different beginnings than what is implied in the show [the lovely uses of creative freedom] but everyone will essentially behave the same way they do in the show. Never stop questioning the plot! Your questions make me strive for better chapters and give me ideas, as well as pointing out plot problems and issues there might be! Enjoy this chapter!

21BrokenPromises- Dude, you scared me a little bit with your review, please be gentle with my furniture! I LOLed onto the floor, got an extremely weird look from my friend and had to explain that I was reading your review. You've got to look a little harder, I'm rather difficult to spot when I want to disappear and your explosion startled me into the shadows ^/^ Please don't flame me, here, want a cookie? *holds out canister* Have the whole jar! *throws cookies at unsuspecting persons and flees into crowd* Enjoy this chapter!

Before I forget, to everyone who reviewed, followed, and favorited this story or myself, Thank You! To you all, I give a cookie *hands out cookies shaped as brand* Enjoy the cookies!

Anywho, enjoy!

* * *

'There are many more of us out there, many children that will be tossed to the side like refuse because they have been touched by silver fire. Find them, young one, and teach them.' Erwin stared hard at the last lines and his brow furrowed in confusion as he dug his hand into the soft dirt beside him. _My hands!..._ Baring his palms, he saw the brand was still there but they no longer looked like fresh burns, inflamed and swelled. Instead, smooth pink flesh surrounded the black marks, itching as though it were still healing and tender to touch.

He marveled at them until the sun began its descent and shook himself out of his reverie, gathering everything the woman had left and tucking the pouch into his shirt, placing the pack on his back. He climbed up the bank, through the bushes that concealed him, and onto the road, startling a feral cat that had been sniffing at a leaf. It tore down the road before scurrying into the bushes and Erwin shrugged, following its path south. _Might as well start somewhere._

* * *

He walked from village to village, always skirting the busiest part in favor of the outlying farms. He would take odd jobs when he could find them and saved the coins in his purse, living mainly on what he could forage for. He became an odd sort of Jack-of-all-trades, performing any little job that was asked and soaking up information like a sponge.

He practiced weaving, as he unconsciously referred to it now, every day, for as long as he could, until he was exhausted. Twirling little stones in the palm of his hand, bending the tree limbs around himself, creating tiny dust devils in the dirt, he did everything he could think of to make himself stronger, more aware of his powers. He found eventually that he excelled at creating illusions and could manipulate people quite easily, as he practiced on passersby whenever he got the chance. He could perform minor weaves on the plants around himself and could sometimes coax small creatures to approach him, but had no real talent for it as he was too impatient to stay still for long periods of time.

Referring back to the woman's texts again and again, he discovered that there were three broad types of weaving one could perform. Physical, mental, and spiritual weaves, which broke down into more specialized types of weaving. She called herself a soothsayer in her writing, an ability that not many possessed apparently. Skimming the other different types of weaving, Erwin determined himself to be proficient in the mental weaves; that is, weaving illusions and charms around people, as well as his ability to manipulate them occasionally.

The days slowly blended into months and faded into three years as he continued wandering, south and west to the coast and then east and north just a bit, away from the bite of salty air and into wetter, greener areas.

He heard the faint sounds echoing up the hillside before the village first came into sight and stopped as he crested the last little knoll before the descent down the other side of the hill. Houses were scattered amongst the valley, animals calling for their evening meal in their corrals as children ran home for supper. A couple dogs barked in the distance and Erwin nervously ran his hands through his hair before beginning the walk down the hill. He skirted the main group of homes, sticking to the few steads that seemed to belong to farms.

He could feel eyes on his back whenever he passed a house but kept his eyes steadfastly forward, hoping he didn't attract any unwanted attention. He kept his hands shoved into the threadbare pockets of his trousers, ignoring the little stones digging into his feet. He wandered nearly the entire western perimeter of the village and despair was threatening to pull him under until he heard a faint cry amongst the cattle lowing in a field on his right.

Ears straining, he walked in the general direction he had heard the sound from and came upon the trough the pigs ate from. Peering into it, a faint wail reached his ears and he quickly vaulted over the fence, walking purposefully toward the wooden trough. He shifted some rotting vegetables and came face to face with a small baby, a girl no older than a few days with fine red fuzz covering her head, too weak to do much other than squirm a little in his marked hands and open her eyes briefly. Bright silver met his amazed brown orbs before shutting again and a little sigh issued forth from a tiny mouth.

Removing the blanket from his pack, Erwin carefully wrapped the girl in it and cradled her to his chest as he strode across the field toward the cows. He stooped beside one and held the little girl against his chest as he experimentally tugged on one cow's tit, pleased to find milk still flowing. He gently laid the baby on the ground between his feet and removed his pack, taking a canteen from its depths and placing it directly under the cow's tit. He began pulling and drawing the milk from her udder and watching her feet cautiously, although she seemed content to chew her cud and ignore him save for the occasional flick of her tail when he pulled too hard.

Having filled the canteen to the brim, he replaced the pack and picked up the baby again, contemplating how to feed her. He eventually ended up weaving a little spell to dribble the milk into her mouth, bit by bit. He fed her carefully, smiling softly when she yawned and stretched her little body before falling asleep. Pulling her close to his chest, Erwin searched for a place to sleep for the night and soon came upon a little copse of trees, offering shelter from the weather and prying eyes. He sat against the gnarled trunk of an oak tree, setting his pack beside him as he folded his arms protectively around the baby. Staring down at her, he gently traced a cherubic cheek and tiny nose, eyes softening as she turned into his hand and seemed to settle closer. "I'll call you..." Memory summoning up the cat that started him on his path, fur shining copper in the sunlight much the same way her downy hair did in the evening light, Erwin settled in for the night. "...Catarina. Goodnight, little Cat."

* * *

Erwin wagered that Cat would be a handful when she got older, if the way she behaved now was any indicator. She woke at all hours, crowing to be fed. If he didn't wake immediately, she set to beating her tiny fists against his chest, howling louder, more urgently. Silver eyes regarded him balefully when he accidentally spilled milk down his shirt before a toothless smile was shown and a gurgle given at his action.

He searched constantly for more children like Cat, young minds that had no concept of what they had done to deserve being cast aside amongst the vegetables. He wandered the area surrounding the village in the valley for two months and had yet to find another child when he considered the coming winter. Granted, winters weren't hard where they were, temperatures rarely ventured below forty, but that could be lethal for Cat. Erwin determined to find a place outside the village to build them a small home and began scouting through the woods regularly, looking for the ideal spot to settle.

He was foraging through the undergrowth one day when he came upon a clearing in the woods, a small creek running in the trees behind it and apple trees dotting the perimeter. He walked to the center of the clearing and considered the crumbling cellar and rotted frame of an old house, absentmindedly rubbing Cat's back as he walked the perimeter of the foundation. A thoughtful smile flicked across his face as he regarded the space before him. Spinning on his heel, Erwin began walking quickly toward the village again, trepidation forgotten in his excitement at having found a place to lay down roots.

He walked through the village proper, Cat snug in his arms as he approached the saw mill. He asked a worker who he could speak to about buying some lumber and was directed to a young man around his age by the name of Edward Beckett, whose father had given him the lumber mill as a coming of age gift. "Excuse me sir, if I may speak with you for a moment?"

The dark haired man gave him a charismatic smile and gestured toward a small office, shutting the door behind him when Erwin passed. "Of course. What is it you wanted..."

"Oh! Sorry, I'm Erwin Sikowitz," he stuck his free hand out, which he had taken the time to wrap in a strip of cloth, and shook the man's hand. "And you are Edward Beckett, right?"

Edward laughed and sat at the desk, gesturing for Erwin to relax on the chair opposite him. "Yes, but please call me Beckett, Edward is my father's name and makes me feel old." He looked curiously between Erwin and Cat before asking, "You needed something from me, Mr. Sikowitz?"

"Ah, yes! You see, my...daughter, and I have recently come to this area and I want to build a house for us. I have already found the land I wish to build on, I only need the supplies now to do so. I was hoping you wouldn't be adverse to selling me some lumber?" Erwin subtly wove a charm around Beckett, using the smallest gestures of his fingers to lay it securely around his form. He finished with a small bargaining charm and waited for the man to respond.

"Um, right, lumber." Beckett shook the strange cobwebs from his mind and returned to the matter at hand. "Oh, of course, Mr. Sikowitz. We've got excess here, and scraps I can't use. How much do you think you'll need?" Erwin gave him the dimensions he had in his mind and they haggled over the price, agreeing to an amount just under what he had left in his purse. Beckett also agreed to let Erwin have any of the scrap lumber he wanted, free of charge. Erwin stood and smiled, shaking his hand again and asking if there were any men available to help him carry the lumber to where he needed it. Beckett nodded and called a half dozen men to carry the lumber up the hill and watched as the strange young man with the baby girl led the train of men up the path and past his sight.

Erwin thanked the men profusely when they dropped the lumber at the edge of the clearing and several of them left but three stayed behind. An older man, trimmed beard streaked with gray, approached Erwin and introduced himself as Jason Byrd and asked if he could hold his daughter.

"What's her name," he asked, lifting the little red head to his eyes and making a face at her.

"Catarina, but I call her Cat."

"Well, hello Cat, how are you?" He seemed to listen as Cat gurgled at him and replied, "You don't say! Well, I suppose I can't refuse an offer like that from a beautiful little girl like you." Cat burbled happily and gave a gummy, drooly grin to Jason, laying a little hand against his stubbly cheek. Jason held Cat easily in his arms and told Erwin, "It seems your little girl has made a proposition. She said I should help you build this little house for you two, and in exchange I'll be able to visit her whenever I want."

Erwin stared in confusion for a moment before smiling happily. "Of course, of course! That sounds wonderful! Erm, there's only one problem." Jason shook his head as he handed Cat back to Erwin.

"You mean the lack of tools and nails and such? Don't worry, I've got all of that at my house, me and my boys," he nodded back at the other two young men who had stayed behind, "can run back and get the stuff and we can start working today! You just keep that little lady safe." Jason and his sons disappeared in the trees and Erwin sat against an apple tree, taking a small apple from a branch and biting into it.

He was working on his third when they returned, laden with tools and supplies. Jason also brought a small cradle on his shoulder, setting it in the shade of an oak tree and saying that Erwin could put Cat in it. He laid the little redhead in the cradle and pulled the blanket around the edges of it, giving her head a pat before joining the other three at the center of the clearing.

They spent an inordinate amount of time trying to decide just where to start until Cat decided to speed things up by giving a mighty cry. "I guess the little one's had enough of our bickering," Jason said, laughing as he strode over to the cradle. He lifted Cat into his arms and made little sounds to her while his sons smiled and shook their heads. Erwin told Jason she was probably hungry and pointed him to the skin full of milk he had by his pack. While Jason fed Cat, Erwin and the boys began replacing the stones in the cellar under Jason's careful direction.

By the time evening rolled around, they had finished fixing half of the cellar and Jason said casually, "So, Sikowitz, do you have anywhere to stay while we rebuild this place?" He correctly interpreted Erwin's silence as a negative and shook his head. He hooked his arm across Erwin's shoulder and led him with Cat in his arms toward the village. "Well, you can stay with my wife and I if you want. I certainly don't mind, I miss having a baby in the house.

"Boys are all grown you know, and we never did have a girl. I insist, Sikowitz!" He exclaimed when Erwin tried to turn down his offer, keeping his arm around his shoulder as they all walked down the hill. Erwin just stumbled along under Jason's thick arm and soon they arrived at a small but well kept house on the fringe of the village center.

Walking in, Jason called for his wife and introduced her to Sikowitz and Cat. "Molly, this is Erwin Sikowitz and his little girl, Cat. They're gonna be staying with us until we finish building his house, you remember that little clearing way up on the hill?" Molly, who had a flushed face from leaning over the pot and whose blonde hair was escaping from its quick bun, gave Erwin a welcoming smile and cooed over Cat, taking her from his arms and holding her close. Cat just yawned and peeked up at Molly before shutting her eyes and Erwin let out a silent sigh, glad that her eyes had finally changed from silver to a bright brown.

They all sat down for supper, Molly still holding Cat, and made small talk, quickly growing comfortable with each other over stew and biscuits. Erwin slept on a cot in the kitchen, Cat in a cradle by the stove. They woke early in the morning and Erwin had just fed Cat when Jason came into the kitchen and began brewing some coffee. Molly came into the kitchen not long after and said she would keep an eye on Cat if he wanted while they worked. They had a light breakfast and packed some food for lunch before heading out, grabbing Jason's sons from their houses before heading up the hill. They worked the entire day, re-mortaring the rest of the cellar and resetting the corner posts of the house before they lost daylight.

Erwin soon fell into a routine with the Byrd's over the month that he stayed with them. Wake up early, feed Cat, make coffee, head up the hill and work the whole day before returning once the light was gone and eating supper before going to bed. He told the Byrd's stories of the places he had been in the past three years, regaling them with fantastic and wild tales of his exploits. At night, he would work on his weaving for a while before giving himself over to sleep and Cat would inevitably wake him several times throughout the night to be fed.

It was mid September when they put the last bit of work into the roof, sealing the house against the weather. Erwin and Jason walked through the front door into the kitchen, wide windows providing ample sunlight. There was also a sitting room and what would eventually be three bedrooms, one of which had a ladder leading up to an attic. Jason looked pleased at the work they had done and clapped a calloused hand on Erwin's shoulder. "This will be a fantastic place for you and little Cat," he intoned, eyes bright and teeth flashing under his beard.

Erwin nodded and thanked Jason, already cataloging what he still needed, namely, a bed, food, and a working wood stove. He spent the rest of the day buying what supplies he could with the last of his coin and taking them up the hill using a mule. He stopped down at Jason's that evening after setting up his meager supplies and picked up Cat, promising to stop in frequently. He walked along the path they had worn down and reached the house shortly, taking a moment to appreciate it before pushing open the door. He shut it behind himself and set Cat in the cradle by the stove, stoking it for the night. Laying the bedroll beside the cradle, Erwin laid down for the night and shut his eyes, falling into a restful sleep.

* * *

Erwin began traveling to the surrounding villages to make some extra coin, leaving Cat with the Byrd's whenever he left the area for an extended period of time. He could see that the Byrd's had fallen in love with the happy little girl and prayed whenever he left that none of Cat's more interesting traits would manifest while he was gone. Thankfully, by the time winter had fully set in, trees and animals alike sinking into reverie, Cat was still just a happy, although slightly hyperactive baby, content gumming anything she could grab with tiny hands and cooing happily whenever someone picked her up and rocked her.

Between jobs in nearby towns, Erwin spent his time practicing weaving almost religiously. He used his illusions for entertaining Cat when he made little bubbles float about her head and she reached for them, stretching her arms to grasp a small fish and giggling when it dissolved around her fingers and then reformed itself, swimming lazily above her fascinated eyes.

It was about five months after that Erwin found the second of what would become three kids living in the house on the hill. He was in a neighboring town, roughly twice the size of where he had settled, and on his way past a small ramshackle house when he heard raised voices and a frail cry from inside. He turned abruptly and walked up the narrow path and knocked brusquely on the door, following an urge he couldn't ignore. A few seconds later a rather belligerent looking man yanked open the door and glared down at Erwin, his gaze intimidating and heavy.

Swallowing nervously, Erwin casually began twisting his fingers together in an apparently anxious gesture and mumbled under his breath quickly. The man appeared ready to bodily remove Erwin from his porch until he suddenly made a cleaving motion across the man's forehead, charming him into revealing true thoughts whenever he asked a question. "I, ahm, apologize for the interruption, but I couldn't help but hear a bit of noise. Is everything alright?" Erwin made no attempt to peer around the man's wide shoulders and into the darkened house, waiting patiently for the charm to take hold in the man's mind.

"I was just having a discussion with my wife, nothing more," the man replied monotonously, eyes dazed and expression flaccid. Another perk of the charm was its ability to remove emotion from the recipient's words, easing difficult conversations and leaving the weaver with naught but the truth.

"And what, young Goodman...?"

"Adam Shapiro."

"Mr. Shapiro, what were you discussing, if I may ask." He could hear a suppressed cry behind the man but kept his eyes trained on him, waiting the answer.

"My wife, she bore a viper's child the night before last, a cursed silver eyed demon, but refuses to give it up. That thing has no reason to exist and I will not allow it to continue to reside in this house." The man seemed to grow irritated for a moment before the charm took hold again, slipping deeper into his mind to keep the emotions at bay. Erwin asked to step inside and the man moved aside immediately, allowing the smaller man entrance. He took quick stock of the dilapidated interior before asking where his wife and child were and followed the man's pointed finger to a room in the back, presumably the bedroom.

A sallow faced and weary young woman reclined under the covers, holding a small bundle protectively to her chest. She glared at Erwin as he entered the room, followed by her husband. "He's asked you to take the babe, hasn't he? I won't let you, you can't harm a hair on his head," she warned, clutching the baby closer to her. Erwin made a placating gesture with his hands and the woman gasped, staring at his palms.

Erwin cursed silently, remembering he had left the fingerless gloves in the pack on his back. "I mean you or the child no harm, missus. I merely offer a compromise." The woman stared suspiciously at him, body curled defensively around her child while her husband looked apathetically on. "I would take the child and raise it, away from here, but close enough for you to visit, should you wish it." The woman opened her mouth to object and Erwin plowed on. "Or, you would not have to see the child again if you didn't wish it. I merely offer a solution to your problems, nothing more."

"Why would you do this? You are branded yourself, why shouldn't I have my husband go for the constable and have him arrest you?"

"Because, missus, that would only compound your problems. You would be found to have a silver eyed child and that would only create more problems for your family. Believe me, I know the difficulty of trying to hide a child like yours, especially when you are not prepared, or able, to deal with the abilities that come with it." Erwin tried to convey with his eyes the truth behind his words and saw the woman's eyes turn considering and sad.

She caressed the face at her breast and seemed to steady herself with a breath before regarding Erwin again. "And you can do this? Teach him to use his...abilities, and to be responsible with them? Can you promise me you would care for him and help him to grow into a good man?"

"I promise, I will do everything in my power to enable him to become the man he should be," Erwin intoned seriously, listening to her husband behind him rumble an agreement. Her breath hitched as she held the baby closer for a minute before holding him out to Erwin, who took him securely into his arms. Her husband walked around Erwin and knelt beside the bed, wrapping his wife into his arms and pressing his lips to her temple, somewhat able to feel that he should offer comfort through the grip of the charm. "What is his name, missus?

She offered up a tremulous smile, tear stained face half hidden behind her hair. "Robert, we decided if it were a boy we would call him Robert." Erwin tested the name on his tongue, enjoying the way it rolled of his lips in its entirety.

"Well missus, I am sorry for this, but know that if you wished you could visit and see him." The woman shook her head minutely, hanging onto her husband's arm as she would a lifeline.

"I won't, I couldn't bear to see him and know that-" She buried her head against Adam's shoulder and sobbed quietly for a moment, long fingers curled into his shirt. "Just, take care of him, please," she asked quietly, hiccuping against her husband's chest. Erwin nodded and took his leave, tucking the blanket tighter around the baby's body before beginning the trek home.

He carefully wound his way back through the village, stopping at another home and asking for some milk to feed Robert with. As he traversed the edge of the ravine the trail was on, he contemplated the life he would be offering to this boy, to Cat, and whoever else he found. "I promise to take care of you, young Robbie, don't worry," he said to the child in his arms. Robbie only looked up at him with wide silver eyes and made a pass at his chin and Erwin chuckled as he tilted his head back. "You're anxious to get back as well, aren't you? It won't be too much longer, my boy, and you'll meet your...sister. What do you think of that?"

* * *

There's the first chapter of this fic, hope it was alright! Again, questions, concerns, and critiques should be directed to the girl behind the desk *pushes up glasses* They will be considered with all due seriousness, and...aw, who am I kidding? I'll probably laugh myself to tears for some of them, if the last round of reviews were any indicators! Flames will be handled accordingly, that is to say they will be stuffed into my burning barrel and doused in snow! *readies snow shovel*

….I may be persuaded to update earlier with more reviews, just saying. Reviews make me happy, a happy me writes faster, and more writing means I'll update quicker! See the snowballing effect?

Until next time, adieu!


	3. Revelations and New Arrivals

This update's coming to you guys early because I won't be able to get on the internet Wednesday night and figured you all would prefer getting the chapter early rather than wait for Saturday. Next update will continue on the following Wednesday as usual, just so you know :)

ScottyBgood- You have got a seriously fine intuition, dude. This chapter will explain a couple of your questions, so I won't give it away yet. Suffice it to say that Andre will come in at a slightly later point than where we are now. Enjoy the chapter!

Azkadellio- My Beckett is an OC, Beck's father. I actually just figured out that Beck is his first name in the show, but feel lazy and like the sound of Oliver Beckett rather than Beck Oliver so I'm leaving it as is. You are more than welcome to pet the plot bunny if you wanna, in fact, bring your own if you have any, I love petting other peoples' bunnies ^w^

I Tear Paper For Fun- LOL, I know, right? Sikowitz will become rather eccentric after a while, but we've a ways to go before we reach that point. I'm glad you enjoy my writing style, I always think that I got too far into detail, but your guys' reactions put me at ease. Enjoy!

Jeremy Shane- Here you go! Aw, but i like presents :(

Jessmi1- You wound me, dude! *clutches heart* I don't think I can make it if you flame me like that XD It will indeed have an effect if you write more reviews, perhaps even make others write reviews for me as well. Don't worry, the chapters will generally be around 4500 words, so have fun! There's no way I'll abandon this fic, I love it and am constantly writing!

knightraven4life- Enjoy!

MazaKiwarkis- Gald you like it! Enjoy!

Without further ado, I present the next installment of Everyday Magic! Enjoy!

* * *

"Well missus, I am sorry for this, but know that if you wished you could visit and see him." The woman shook her head minutely, hanging onto her husband's arm as she would a lifeline.

"I won't, I couldn't bear to see him and know that-" She buried her head against Adam's shoulder and sobbed quietly for a moment, long fingers curled into his shirt. "Just, take care of him, please," she asked quietly, hiccuping against her husband's chest. Erwin nodded and took his leave, tucking the blanket tighter around the baby's body before beginning the trek home.

He carefully wound his way back through the village, stopping at another home and asking for some milk to feed Robert with. As he traversed the edge of the ravine the trail was on, he contemplated the life he would be offering to this boy, to Cat, and whoever else he found. "I promise to take care of you, young Robbie, don't worry," he said to the child in his arms. Robbie only looked up at him with wide silver eyes and made a pass at his chin and Erwin chuckled as he tilted his head back. "You're anxious to get back as well, aren't you? It won't be too much longer, my boy, and you'll meet your...sister. What do you think of that?"

* * *

Erwin cradled the sleeping infant to his chest as he walked toward Jason and Molly's house, a near bounce in his step as he whistled a jaunty tune. He knocked on their door and smiled when Molly opened it, shifting the infant slightly in his arms. "Oh, Mr. Sikowitz, you're back early," she said in surprise, eyes traveling over his face and then down his frame to settle on the bundle in his arms. "Is that..." She stepped across the threshold and eased the baby from his arms, cradling him close.

"His name is Robbie," Erwin offered, looking torn between wanting to let Molly hold the infant and wanting to take him back, not certain if he would waken in her arms. The choice was taken from him when Robbie abruptly woke, yawning and twisting in Molly's arms before locking eyes with her, hazy silver lighting upon stunned blue before shutting again. Molly stood frozen in the doorway, mouth working uselessly while Erwin fought off panic.

Her eyes slowly met Erwin's, a question on her tongue and mind buzzing. "Erwin, this child is...he's got the silver eyes." It wasn't a question, but her uncertainty made it into one. Erwin expected her to shove the infant back into his arms, belittle him, run screaming away, anything but for her to hesitantly bring her finger down to caress his cheek. Robbie's eyes shot open again and he regarded her curiously with wide silver orbs, a little fist waving lazily in the air. Molly smiled and gently poked his nose, laughing when his eyes crossed as he tried to follow her digit. She brought her gaze back to Erwin's and said, "He's not...he's only a baby. He won't hurt anyone right now."

"He's no danger to anyone, Molly. Most of u-them, the weavers, they're not dangerous."

"But they, in the last war..."

"They were defending themselves, nothing more. Soldiers were wary of the communities they lived in and decided to break them apart because they were afraid of what they were capable of in groups. They responded as any person would; they defended their homes. It was nothing but fear and ignorance that drove us into the war, and weavers paid the price." Molly rocked Robbie slowly as she digested what Erwin told her and nodded as the information sunk in. She invited Erwin inside and laid Robbie in the cradle next to Cat, pulling the cradle over to the table so they could talk and watch them.

Molly asked about his trip and while Erwin told her of the community he'd traveled to, Cat opened her eyes and glanced over at the new arrival in her cradle. Robbie's eyes lighted upon her for a moment before continuing to peruse the new environment he was in, unaware of the small fist that would end up whacking him in the cheek. An indignant cry set up from the cradle and the adults looked over to see Robbie wailing next to an innocent looking Cat, whose fist lay on top of her blanket and who gave them a gummy smile as they eyed her.

Erwin picked up Cat and held her close, berating her even though she seemed to ignore his severe tone, preferring to watch Molly take Robbie from the crib and soothe him, humming a tuneless melody while she rocked him in her arms. Robbie quieted and they laid them together once more, watching them to see if anything would happen. Cat and Robbie regarded each other silently for a minute before Robbie held up his hand and coordinated himself enough to gently slap Cat's arm. She stared at him and they saw her lip stick out in a pout. Erwin and Molly waited for her to start crying but Cat instead graced Robbie with a grin and cooed happily, maneuvering herself so she lay close to him.

They fell asleep with their hands overlapped while Erwin and Molly watched with unconscious smiles on their faces. The adults quietly left the kitchen to converse in the sitting room, ears tuned for fretful cries. "Is Cat the same as him," Molly asked, expression curious and open.

Erwin hesitated a second before answering, saying, "Yes, none of their parents wanted them. I found Cat...well, she was in a bad way when I found her, suffice it to say that." Erwin's expression was dark as he remembered discovering Cat in the pig trough and he shook his head. He regarded Molly with an inscrutable expression on his face before beginning to take off his gloves. Molly watched silently as he tucked them into his pocket and turned his hands over, baring the brands to her wide eyes.

She reached over to feel them, tracing the design imprinted in his skin. "Do they...hurt?"

"Not anymore," he answered honestly, trembling as her hand grazed his palms. Although they no longer hurt, the skin was still sensitive to touch, leading him to usually wear the fingerless gloves he had. "Molly, are you okay with this? Me and the little ones? We are not dangerous, and with the proper guidance, I can teach them to use their abilities responsibly."

He waited anxiously for Molly to answer, brows furrowed. Over the past half year, Erwin had come to see the Byrd's as something like family, taking the place of the parents he had left almost four years ago. His hands fisted on his thighs, nails biting slightly into his palms.

"Erwin, relax. I'm not going to force you from this house just because of your birth." She calmed him with a glance, easy smile reaching her eyes as she reached over to pat his arm. "You can't help the way you were born any more than I can. I don't care about you or the children being...weavers, you said? My husband won't either, he told me after the war ended that it was shameful the way they were treated, just because they had a little something extra in themselves. You are welcome in this house, don't worry."

Erwin smiled thankfully and stuck around until Jason came back from the lumber mill and haltingly revealed himself and the infants to him, still nervous despite Molly's assurances. Jason was indeed fine with it, pulling Erwin into a one armed hug before heading to the kitchen and lifting a now awake Robbie from the cradle. He watched his silver eyes roam in fascination, rumbling a laugh when the infant tugged on his beard. Cat babbled for attention from the cradle and cooed happily when Molly picked her up again, drooling as Molly heated up some milk for them and began feeding her, Jason holding another bottle to Robbie's lips.

Erwin took his leave soon after, Cat in a carrier on his back while Robbie laid in his arms. He set them in the cradle and laid on the cot by the stove, idly weaving a few simple spells over his head, feeling the welcome heat running through his hands as he formed a little cat and made it chase a ball of twine he created. He looked up at the babies when they gurgled and sat up, maneuvering the little spell over their captivated eyes and making it chase its tail and tumble over the ball of twine until they fell asleep. Opening the door of the stove, he laid some wood inside and wove a small fire spell, releasing it inside the cast iron stove and sighing happily as the wood caught. Erwin laid back on the cot and mentally ran through his day, thinking of several things he needed to buy in the village soon and wondering what the new day would bring before falling asleep.

* * *

Spring melted seamlessly into summer, budding trees and puddles giving way to warm days and the scent of apple blossoms filling the house. Erwin spent many of his days with Jason at the lumber mill, leaving Robbie and Cat with Molly in the morning and coming back in the evening with some little trinket he had carved.

He continued to travel around the area doing odd jobs and bringing in enough coin to buy things for the house, spending his free time tending to a small garden he planted behind the structure. To the unknowing eye, it seemed to be an ordinary vegetable and herb garden, various other plants scattered amongst the poppy seed and cucumbers, and for the most part it was. However, many of the plants were also necessary for weaving, as Erwin found when he read further into the tome. The various parts of different plants were essential for weaving more powerful spells and stabilizing them, allowing the weaver to focus their energy more.

He read the tome religiously, poring over the pages as he learned more about weaving and his abilities, the perks and limitations that came with weaving illusions and charms. He flipped to the back of the book one day, curious about the thin area of different colored paper, and found himself faced with documentation of the anatomy of a weaver. It was identical to a normal human's except for a small organ that lay beside the heart, under the protective casing of the rib cage.

The woman's script described it as the core of their weaving abilities, and explained briefly that it was like any other muscle, needing exercise to make it stronger and more resilient. 'Be careful to not overuse it, because like any other muscle overworking it could cause irreparable damage. Be cautious and know your own limits.'

Erwin watched that summer as the village expanded and grew more populated. Houses were built on what was the fringe of the village and it crept in increments toward the bottom of the hill. Erwin watched new families move in and bring their own skills, new jobs and businesses showing up soon after. He became closer friends with Edward, meeting his wife who was expecting their first child soon and their family that lived in the center of town, occupying homes that made his own look like a miser's shack. Edward expanded his lumber mill, hiring on more men and building a second mill to make pulp for paper.

Erwin was walking along the trail a few days later, heading away from the town when a wagon rumbled over a hill, bearing down on him quickly. He moved to the side of the trail to avoid being caught in the wagon wheels and was surprised when it stopped next to him, halting his feet out of curiosity although he brought to mind several defensive spells that could help him in a pinch. A man several years older than he, maybe in his early twenties, jumped off the driver's box, taking long strides toward Erwin. He looked up at the man and caught a flash of green under stern brows, dark hair cut short and showcasing a square jaw and prominent features. Erwin saw a young woman peering around the edge of the wagon, soft features half hidden by her long hair.

"Can I help you?" He asked uncertainly, shifting his stance nervously.

"We're looking for a man named Edward Beckett. He owns a lumber mill around this area," the woman asked in a quiet voice. The man, her husband Erwin guessed, threw a look over his shoulder at her and she shrunk back, eyes downcast as she turned around on the seat.

"Ah, yes, young Beckett lives that way," Erwin said, pointing in the direction he had come from, "about a half day's walk. Just stay on the path and you'll end up in the village, well, town now, I guess." He turned and started walking again, only going a few paces before a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"I have another question, if you wouldn't mind." The man's rumbling voice seemed to come straight from his belly and although he phrased it as a suggestion, the man was clearly used to being obeyed. "Is there housing available in the town? My wife and children need somewhere safe to stay until I have acquired land for a home." His green eyes cut through Erwin and pinned him in place, holding his gaze unwaveringly.

"Ahm, there is a boarding house, but it's filled at the moment. Lots of new arrivals, you know." Erwin squirmed uncomfortably under the man's narrowed gaze and heavy hand. "You could try asking at one of the farm steads..." he tried, backtracking as the man shook his head.

"I am allergic to the fur from the animals," he said plainly.

Erwin thought for a moment and sighed silently. "Well, you could stay with me for the time being if you wanted to. There's enough room for a few more." Erwin watched as the man considered his proposition, eyes cutting back to his wife who sat silently on the driver's bench.

"Okay. Will you show us the way?" Erwin clambered up on the driver's bench, taking a seat on one side of the man while his wife sat on the other. They sat in silence for a moment as the horse walked down the path before Erwin's thoughts were interrupted. "My name is Thomas West." He shook Erwin's hand after Erwin introduced himself.

"This is Pru, my wife. I suppose you're wondering why I asked after Edward." He didn't wait for Erwin to reply, speaking as his eyes stayed on the road. "He and I were friends before his family moved here around five years ago and we promised that our children would marry. I received a letter a month ago that they were expecting and decided to move here, to be closer to his family. I have a son and daughter so it doesn't matter what his wife has, our children will be tied together when they come of age." They sat in silence after that, all three adults left to their thoughts. The woman, Pru, looked back into the wagon occasionally but Erwin reined in his curiosity, rationalizing that her kids were probably sleeping in the back.

Several hours of stilted conversation later, Erwin was directing them through the trees to his house and helping them carry their possessions into the kitchen. He showed them to one of the bedrooms and walked outside with Pru, striding toward the apple trees along the edge of the clearing to take a small apple from one of the branches. He walked toward the wagon to see Pru taking a small limp body into her arms, smiling tenderly as she strode inside the house.

She came out a few minutes later and reached inside to grab another small form, cradling it close as it shifted restlessly. Erwin walked closer to see wide green eyes with flecks of gold staring at him over a button nose and lips turned down into a pout. The girl couldn't be any older than two but she promised to be a heartbreaker when she grew up, wavy chestnut hair framing a delicate looking face. She stared at Erwin before Pru kissed her forehead and laid her against her shoulder, turning to carry her inside the house.

The little girl continued to look at Erwin with her mesmerizing eyes as she was carried through the kitchen door and out of sight. Thomas came out and took a large trunk over his shoulder, pausing before he walked away with it. "Mr. Sikowitz...Erwin, thank you for allowing us to stay here for a while. I will obtain some land as soon as I can so we don't burden you, and will allow you to get back to your normal routine."

"It's no trouble, I'm not here that often anyway. I travel around the area quite often, so you won't be imposing at all." He grabbed a basket from the wagon and walked inside, depositing it beside a chair in the kitchen. Pru and Thomas brought in the rest of their things while Erwin dug some dried meat and fruit out of his cupboard, setting it out for them to eat.

When they sat down at the table, Pru stole little glances at Erwin but didn't say anything for several minutes before asking quietly, "Mr. Sikowitz, do you have children? I just noticed the cradle by the stove and there are little things..." She trailed off, cowed by her husband's stare.

Erwin glanced between them as he cleared his throat and addressed Pru, although he kept his chair facing both of them across the table. "Yes, I have two little ones. They aren't here at the moment because I wasn't going to be here for several days. I leave them with some friends while I'm away and pick them up when I get back." He stood after he finished speaking, walking toward the door.

"Actually, I should get them now that I have guests. If you want to come with me, I can show you the town and find Beckett for you while I get the little ones." Thomas and Pru nodded, rising from their seats and going with him to the door. "Will your children be alright while we're gone?"

"They'll be fine, Joseph won't wake up soon and Jade is capable of finding her own entertainment," Thomas said brusquely, leading the way down the trail to the town. "Are you coming, Pru?" He called over his shoulder. Pru looked back at the bedroom door just visible and scrunched up her nose before nodding and following after her husband, Erwin trailing out last.

He led them down the hillside and took them to the lumber mill, knocking on Beckett's door and entering he heard him respond. Beckett's eyes bounced from Erwin to Thomas to his wife and he sidestepped the desk as he pumped Thomas' arm happily. Erwin left them to their devices, skirting the potholes in the street as he walked toward Jason and Molly's house. He let himself in and called to Molly, smiling as she came around the corner with Robbie on her arm. The little boy grinned and reached for Erwin, happily latching onto his shirt sleeve when he took him from Molly.

"What are you doing back, you just left this morning," Molly asked curiously, head swiveling as a rousing cry came from the sitting room. She and Erwin walked into the room to see Cat waving her arms wildly, further tangling the blanket she had somehow managed to wrap around herself. Molly leaned over the edge of the cradle and picked her up, speaking soothingly as she unwound the fabric from around Cat's body.

Cat calmed as soon as she was free and patted Molly's cheek, laying her head against her shoulder and sighing happily. "That wasn't so bad, was it little one? You're alright; here, want to see Robbie?" At the boy's name, Cat's head bounced up and her eyes tracked around the room for her playmate. She giggled and reached for him when she saw Erwin holding him and they set the two little ones on the floor next to each other. They watched their normal ritual, each baby softly smacking the other's cheek, before they huddled close together and babbled nonsense at each other.

"Well, that's another crisis avoided," Erwin joked, smiling at Molly. "I was going out to the next village when this man stopped his wagon and talked to me. He apparently knows Beckett and needed a place to stay while he finds a place for himself and his wife and children. I offered my house for the time being, seeing as I'm never there, so it won't be too crowded." Molly nodded and questioned him some more about the West's, listening as he described them and the arrangement Thomas and Edward apparently had made.

He took his leave soon after, finding Thomas and Pru still talking with Edward, although Pru looked more tired and wan than anything. He frowned at her profile in concern and cleared his throat to get their attention. "I'm certain that you and young Beckett have much catching up to do and I don't want to take you away from that; why don't I take Pru and take her back to the house so she can rest?"

Thomas regarded Erwin narrowly before nodding, dismissing them as he turned to speak with Beckett again. Erwin offered his arm to Pru, who gave him a thankful smile, and the two made their way back to Molly's, grabbing his children and introducing the two women briefly before walking up the hill to Erwin's house. Pru cradled Robbie in her arms while Erwin took Cat, speaking to her as she cooed, drooling happily on the shoulder of his shirt. They walked into the house and Erwin laid Cat on the floor before taking Robbie from Pru's arms and telling her to take a nap. She flashed him a small smile and Erwin was struck by just how beautiful she was when she wasn't being put down by her husband before she shut the bedroom door.

* * *

Erwin didn't want to leave the West's by themselves in his house so he took jobs he could find in the town, coming home each evening to find Pru making dinner or tending his garden while Thomas was usually nowhere to be found. Erwin couldn't believe he would trust his wife alone with another man and asked Pru about it. "He's a good judge of character," she said simply, shrugging her shoulders as she pulled some weeds from the garden. Erwin hummed contemplatively and walked over to the kids, all of them settled on the back porch. Cat and Robbie were, as usual, sitting together and babbling at each other, although they seemed to be including Joseph, Jade's little brother, as much as they could.

Jade was having none of it, trundling on short legs away from the other three toward the steps. Erwin stooped to pick her up and held her at arms' length, leveling a stare at her stubborn look. "Now, now, don't give me that look missy. I don't want you hurting yourself, that's all." Jade squirmed and wrinkled her nose in a manner mirroring Pru's, pushing against his arms futilely. Erwin set her down at the bottom of the steps, standing over her as she walked toward her mother.

"Mama," she called, walking as fast her legs could carry her and listing to the side as she hurried faster. Pru caught her just before she fell over, hoisting her onto her hip and dusting her cheek with dirt as she smiled.

"Hello, baby girl." Pru kissed the tip of Jade's nose and the little girl giggled, squirming happily in her mother's arms. "What are you doing?"

"Wanna help," she said, pushing against Pru's chest to let her down. Pru set her on the ground and knelt beside her, grabbing a weed at the base and yanking. Jade bent over and grabbed a carrot top, yanking it from the ground before either adult could stop her. She regarded the small orange vegetable curiously, holding it out to Pru for inspection.

"That's a carrot, baby girl. You like carrots, don't you? Here," she wiped the dirt off on her apron and handed it back to Jade who began to munch on the vegetable. She grinned up at Pru and walked away, settling beneath an apple tree and leaning against the trunk. Pru smiled after her and began pulling more weeds, Erwin joining her on the ground shortly after. They worked in companionable silence, both grown comfortable with the other in their time together.

"Does he know?" The question startled Pru and she placed her hand against her chest to calm the quick flutter.

"Does who know what?" She returned to her task, averting her eyes when Erwin turned to her, looking at her with suddenly too wise eyes, looking much older than his nineteen years. She gulped and rested her hands against her knees, not looking at him. "He's...aware that something is wrong but doesn't know what. How did you?..."

"I travel this area constantly, doing whatever jobs I find. Sometimes I move produce for a shop owner, sometimes I act as a farmhand; a couple times, I've gone along with a doctor as their assistant." He watched Pru's hands clench her apron and her shoulder bow. "I've seen this before, only a few times. It doesn't seem to affect many people."

"The doctor, he gave me a couple years." Pru wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, leaving a dirty streak behind. "A couple years to watch my children grow, and then to be taken away from them. Do you know how hard that is, to look at them and realize you won't be able to see them grow up, fall in love, find themselves?" Her eyes gleamed as she looked first at Joseph playing on the porch and then over at Jade who was reaching for an apple. "I'm so afraid of what will happen when I'm no longer here. Thomas...he's not an easy man to be with sometimes. I don't want my children to have to live with that." She stood up and walked over to Joseph, lifting him up to blow a kiss over his belly.

He giggled and squirmed, prompting Cat to pull herself up with Pru's dress and pull against it. "Pooh, Pooh! Me too!"

Pru set her son down and picked up Cat, throwing her into the air a little before catching her. Cat screamed and giggled, nuzzling against her neck when she held her. She kissed her cheek and set her hands against her chest, saying, "Love you, Pooh."

Pru's smile was watery and she kissed Cat's forehead. "I love you too, Kitty." She set Cat down and grabbed Robbie, sitting down on the step and setting him on her lap. He grinned lopsidedly at her, eyes nearly crossing as she poked his nose.

"Robert, what are you doing, you little charmer?" Erwin froze at the endearment while Pru smiled at Robbie, who was trying to speak. He had a small speech impediment and had trouble articulating, leading him to usually just resort to gestures and grunts rather than words. "No, come on Robert, I know you can say it. Puh-er-ooh," she articulated each letter and tried to get Robbie to mimic them.

"Pooh! Pooh, Pooh, Pooh!" He clapped happily and Cat squealed, calling for Pru at her feet.

Pru just chuckled and set him down. "Alright, Pooh has to go get her daughter, but she'll be right back." She set across the yard and picked up Jade, bringing her back and setting her in Erwin's arms. "You watch the monsters, I'll start supper."

Pru smiled at Erwin when he made a face as Jade tried to climb out of his arms, saying, "Check on me occasionally to make sure I'm still alive, alright?" She laughed and nodded, retreating inside while Erwin set Jade down, watching her step carefully down the stairs and run down the rows of plants, semi-consciously playing with Joseph and the other two.

The sun had just set behind the trees, setting their leaves on fire, when Pru came out and said food was ready, each adult grabbing two children and taking them inside. They sat down and began to eat, mindless of the fact that Thomas wasn't back yet. Recently, he had been staying longer at Edward's, 'talking about their children's futures' as he told his wife, and they had grown used to not having his domineering presence amongst them.

Erwin noticed Thomas' family was much more relaxed without the strict patriarch in their presence and Pru spoke her mind more freely, meeting Erwin's eyes and debating with him about anything. He smiled as they ate and spoke, glad to know the woman outside of her husband's influence and finding he enjoyed her intelligent and witty conversation. They finished eating and cleaned up the kids, changing them into sleepwear and putting them to bed in one of the bedrooms. Joseph and Jade shared a small bed, as did Robbie and Cat. They shut the door quietly and Pru said she was turning in as well, wishing Erwin a good night and leaving him to sit on the side porch and watch the stars, naming each constellation that he could find.

He had just traced Ursa Minor with his finger when he heard footsteps coming up the path. He saw Thomas walking toward him, head down and hands shoved into his pockets as he squinted in the dark. "Good evening, Thomas. How was your day?"

Thomas shot him a look that seemed as dark as the shadows he was walking out from under but sat next to Erwin on the porch steps. "It was fulfilling. I put the finishing touches on a marriage agreement with Edward and visited his wife in town. She's eight months pregnant now, you know." They sat in silence and stared into the darkness until Thomas stood and wished Erwin a good night and retreated inside. Erwin sighed and crossed his legs, making himself more comfortable as he watched the stars spin above him.

* * *

There you have it! Hope you all had fun reading, don't forget to leave your friendly neighborhood writer a review, they're like pennies from FF. As always, I bow to your guys' responses and strive to please! Till next time, TTFN!


	4. The Outcast

Here's the next chapter! So, I just realized that in the show, Beck's name is Beck Oliver, but I accidentally called his father Edward Beckett, and I'm too damn lazy to go back and fix it, so his name in this fic will be Oliver Beckett. It will eventually be changed to Beck as it evolves as a nickname, much like his father calling himself Beckett, just an FYI. Also, my knowledge of Spanish is very rusty since I've not spoken it regularly in eight years, so I've employed the wonderful, if sometimes incorrect, Google Translate. I apologize if any phrases are grossly incorrect. Not much else to say, so I'll leave you to it!

TimelessReader- Read on, and find out!

Masterkungfu2013- I know, right? That's the way he's gonna be the entire story.

Azkadellio- *evil laugh* My lips are sealed. I don't like arranged marriages either, but this is set in an AU of the 1800s, so it was reasonable then. I can definitely understand that your bunnies are still young, if you ever wanna bounce ideas, I'm more than willing to listen. Pru from Charmed definitely influenced my Pru, you could envision her that way if you wanna. As of right now, Trina actually won't be making an appearance in this fic, but you guys have already given me ideas for other things that I didn't plan on doing, so anything's possible, really. Enjoy!

I Tear Paper For Fun- I'm glad you enjoy my writing so much, it makes me feel good! Read on, dude!

Arcus Iris- I thought it would be cute if they called her Pooh, too. That's why I left it in. I know I can reply in messages, but if I do it that way, there's a good chance I'll forget someone, and I hate leaving you guys hanging. My memory is notorious for misplacing things that need to be done. However, if I start receiving more reviews, I will begin replying in PMs *wink wink* Enjoy!

Victorious Rox101- Enjoy!

ScottyBgood- I'm saying nothing at all, my lips are definitely sealed on this deal. You're gonna have to read to find out.

T0ran- I know there's a lot of OCs, but they were needed to fill the story, since none of the other characters from the show really fit what I was going for, personality wise. I'm trying to keep everyone more or less true to their characters in the show, so I don't have much to choose from. Glad you're enjoying the setting, this era really interests me, so I thought it'd be col to write about.

Enjoy!

* * *

He had just traced Ursa Minor with his finger when he heard footsteps coming up the path. He saw Thomas walking toward him, head down and hands shoved into his pockets as he squinted in the dark. "Good evening, Thomas. How was your day?"

Thomas shot him a look that seemed as dark as the shadows he was walking out from under but sat next to Erwin on the porch steps. "It was fulfilling. I put the finishing touches on a marriage agreement with Edward and visited his wife in town. She's eight months pregnant now, you know." They sat in silence and stared into the darkness until Thomas stood and wished Erwin a good night and retreated inside. Erwin sighed and crossed his legs, making himself more comfortable as he watched the stars spin above him.

* * *

"Jade Catherine West! Get out of the dirt, those are good clothes!" Pru admonished her daughter from the door and walked toward her, sighing when Jade squealed and ran away from her. She gave chase, trailing the four year old across the yard and crawling after her when she scooted under the apple tree.

It was Jade's fourth birthday and Erwin had told Pru she could bring her kids to his house, inviting Edward's son, Oliver, as well. The two year old boy looked curiously at the scene unfolding with wide brown eyes from the porch where he sat with Robbie and Joseph, eating messily. Cat was toddling after Jade on unsteady legs, calling for Pru and giggling happily when the woman turned and picked her up, standing from her position beside the apple tree. Jade watched carefully from under the tree's fruit laden branches, dress stained and happily disheveled, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

She eventually grew bored when no one chased her anymore and crawled out from under the tree, walking over to her mother's feet. "Mama, chase me?" She rubbed a dirty foot against her opposite ankle.

"No baby girl, mama's too tired to chase anymore."

The truth was, Pru's disease was progressing quickly now and sapping her strength. She looked weak and gaunt, her normally vibrant eyes dull with sickness and body frail looking. She put on a front for her kids and the people her family knew, but Erwin could see in her eyes that she was nearing the end of her reserves. Her husband was aware now, too, and had spent a small fortune on doctors while trying to save his wife's health, but to no avail. She grew paler every day, seeming to shrink in front of their eyes, all the while wearing a melancholic smile as she watched her children play and grow up.

Erwin stood from his perch on the railing on the porch and set his hand on Pru's shoulder briefly when he passed, noting her thankful smile. He closed the distance to Jade and squatted before her. "How about we give your mama a chance to rest and I chase you for a while, Jade?" Jade grinned and took off immediately, running between the rows of vegetables as Erwin gave chase.

They ran around the yard for several minutes and then Jade suddenly veered to her right, disappearing into the bushes lining the clearing. Erwin called for her and took off, pushing into the woods and searching for the blue dress amongst the greens and browns of the woods. He heard a little giggle and swiveled to see a flash of blue behind a pine tree and stalked toward it. "I wonder where Jade could be? She couldn't possibly be behind this tree could she?"

He dashed around it and nearly caught the little girl, but she squealed and took off further into the trees. Erwin followed her closely but allowed her to keep just out of his reach, before stretching his longer legs and beginning to herd her back toward the house. They broke through the treeline a few minutes later and Erwin scooped up the girl, tossing her over his shoulders so she perched on them and could see more. Pru's brow uncreased and she relaxed when they came back into her vision, a fond smile gracing her face.

Jade squirmed down with all the grace and agility of a primate, using Erwin as a jungle gym on her way to her mother's lap. She snuggled closely to Pru's body, tucking her head neatly against her breastbone and listening contently to her heartbeat. Although the girl was a child in every sense of the word, Erwin sometimes saw an immense age seem to settle on her small shoulders, especially when she looked at her mother. She seemed to have an impossible knowledge that something was slowly taking Pru from her, at a glacially slow but nonetheless inevitable pace. He would blink or turn away, and when he looked back, a little girl stared back at him, blissfully young and ignorant to the world again.

They spent the afternoon together, the two adults and five children, talking and playing and eating the meal Erwin and Pru had prepared. "Did you know a negro family just moved in not too long ago? They're living with the Jameson's on their farm. I think the man works there." Pru scanned for the kids before returning her attention to Erwin. "The woman came into town a few days ago with a little boy on her hip. Some of the ladies I was with...their behavior was abhorrent; I'm ashamed to call them friends when I think of it." Pru's face flushed with the memory and her lips pursed.

Erwin sighed and shook his head, he was all too aware of the discrimination people of color faced; not just negroes, but gypsies and immigrants from across the ocean as well. "People are blind to the qualities that should be important Pru, you know they look at the color of your skin first before anything else. The truth is that people simply believe anyone not like them must be lesser than they are."

He laid a calloused hand over her fist and she took a deep breath to relax. "I know, but the way they treated her, it was abysmal! They looked down their noses at her, condescended the clothes she wore and the way she spoke; they couldn't even look her in the eyes when they spoke.

"I spoke to her after they left and apologized for their behavior and introduced myself. She said her name was Abby Harris and introduced her son, Andre. He's an adorable little boy, Erwin, you should have seen him in his little pants and shirt, he looked like a gentleman on his mother's arm." Pru smiled happily as she told Erwin of the Harris's, their father who had been hired on at the farm and their grandmother who apparently was a little 'touched.' Erwin found himself captivated by the description of the family and asked Pru if he would introduce them sometime, agreeing to go on a walk with her to the farm sometime later in the week.

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a wail from Cat, who was staring with wide eyes into the trees. "Catarina, what's wrong!" Erwin leapt the four steps and caught Cat up in his arms, holding the little girl close while she shook in his arms.

"St-strange girl, poppa! Scary, she scare me!"

"What are you talking about, little one? There's no one here," Pru tried to reason, but the little redhead was having none of it.

"_No_, strange girl, poppa! Silver, silver-" Cat abruptly stopped speaking and stared over Erwin's shoulder into the treeline. He turned and saw a bush waving back into place and handed Cat to Pru, striding quickly into the trees. He ran through the trees, following a trail of broken branches and waving ferns until he caught a glimpse of the girl. He could see long dark hair flashing ahead of him, weaving between the trees, a small body rocketing between narrow gaps in the foliage.

Remembering Cat's cried 'silver,' he hesitated to grab the little body but looking ahead he could see they were rapidly approaching a thick copse of trees. Taking a chance, he gathered his legs and leapt, tackling the body into the detritus underneath them. The child squirmed and kicked while yelling unintelligibly at him, grazing his jaw with outstretched hands and drawing four long welts. He pinned her arms above her head and held them with one hand, putting the other over her mouth to quiet her wails. She heaved for breath, wide eyes the color of amber, flecked with gold. Her skin was tan, breath hot against his scarred palms, and the marks tingled as she breathed.

She laid frozen under him and he waited for her breathing to return to normal before speaking softly. "I'm not going to hurt you, little one. I'm going to remove my hand, but please don't scream."

She didn't say anything and Erwin asked, "Do you speak English?" She nodded hesitantly and Erwin slowly repeated his request. She nodded again and he removed his hand from her mouth, releasing her wrists but still hovering over her.

She lay silent, quivering under him and licked her lips before speaking in a whisper. "You...no hurt me? No me hará daño?" Her voice, high in a child's prepubescent pitch, had a heavy accent and she rolled the words on her tongue as though they were unfamiliar. She said the last phrase quietly but Erwin caught it and used the little bit of Spanish he knew to his advantage.

"No malo, mi querida...erm, necesito ayuda?" She looked suspicious but allowed Erwin to sit her up against a tree. "What's your name? Tu nombre?"

"Tori Vega." Her lip quivered when she told him her name and she brushed her eyes with a grubby and scratched hand.

Erwin scratched his stubble and then sat back on his heels. "Tori, I'm Erwin." He stuck his hand out and grasped her small one, shaking it briefly before she pulled back. "What are you doing out here by yourself, little one? Aren't your parents worried about you? Tengo familia?" Victoria's eyes filled with tears and she bit her lip but still one spilled over, others quickly following. She sobbed and Erwin tucked her into his arms, rocking back and forth while she gasped in stilted Spanish against his shirt.

He stood awkwardly with her still clutching his shirt, running his hands through tangled hair slowly and listening to her sobs die into hiccups and eventually even out into deep breaths. She had fallen asleep against his shoulder, hands fisted tightly against the collar of his shirt and face turned toward his neck, little puffs of air ghosting over his skin. He slowly walked back through the trees, using a diagnostic spell to check her for any extensive injuries, external and internally. He found, unsurprisingly, the girl was undernourished, feeling her hipbone jutting under his hand, and there were many scratches on her arms and legs. The only worrisome things were an inflamed area on her chest and some bruises on her arms, but he didn't stop to check them then, striding quickly through the woods until he could hear the children playing.

He broke the treeline and immediately they stopped, staring at him and the girl in his arms. Pru came down the stairs and her eyes softened as she looked at the sleeping form in his arms. They went inside after telling the kids to stay quiet and laid her gently on the bed, Pru removing her torn and stained clothes while Erwin searched for the bandages and salve he kept on hand. He came back to see Pru gently sweeping tangled hair back from her face and tracing a scratch on her face.

Handing her the salve, they worked silently over the child and wrapped the more serious cuts and he told her what he had gleaned from the girl. "I think she's from one of the gypsy tribes, she spoke almost exclusively Spanish. I only caught a bit, but I think either something happened to her family and she left or they abandoned her, I couldn't catch every word." Erwin looked over the child again, his eyes settling on the small tattoo on the right side of her breastbone. It was a tiny image of a dragon, stylized and simplified but still distinguishable in its shape. It was curled in a circle, feet caught together in the center around a gem and tail near its nose. Pru ghosted her fingers over the mark and she squirmed in her sleep, murmuring nonsense before burrowing deeper under the covers.

They crept from the room and shut the door, finding the kids outside playing quietly. "Poppa, who's the girl? She looked nice," Cat asked inquisitively, wrapping her arms around his leg.

"Sleepy girl, poppa!" Robbie said, smiling up at him.

Erwin and Pru shared a look, wondering how much to share. "Her name's Tori. She's going to stay with us a while, kids. Her family isn't with her anymore and she needs somewhere to stay until we can figure something out."

"She's pretty, mama." Jade played with the hem of her dress. Pru lowered herself to pick her up and set her on her hip. "She's pretty, is she a new friend?"

"She could be, baby girl. Do you want to be her friend?" Jade nodded enthusiastically and Pru smiled. "Okay, so when she wakes up, what are you going to do?"

"I'mma give her a hug and kiss!" Jade demonstrated by pecking Pru on the cheek and wrapping her grimy hands around her neck, nuzzling against her mother. Pru chuckled and rocked her back and forth, running her hands through silken hair.

"Alright, baby girl, you do that. Until then, we've got presents for a certain little girl." Jade squealed and crawled out of Pru's arms, all the kids rushing into the house and gathering around the table, where a small cake and several gifts were set. Jade blew out the candle on the cake and tore into the presents while her friends messily ate their cake and then they all crashed in the sitting room on the floor, sleeping together like puppies so the adults couldn't tell where one child started and another ended.

They ended up talking quietly in the kitchen for a couple hours until they heard small feet creeping toward them. The girl, Tori, stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and yawning hugely. She froze when she saw the adults at the table in front of her and her copper hued eyes bounced between them.

"Tori?" Her eyes locked on Pru and she shuddered when she stood slowly from the table and approached her. "You're okay here, we won't hurt you." If she didn't understand the words, Tori heard the calm cadence in Pru's voice and saw the careful way she strode toward the little girl.

When she kneeled before her Pru took the chance to gather her into her arms. Tori latched small hands around her neck tightly and Pru picked her up, walking back to the table and sitting down. "No-no malo? You...estoy a salvo aquí?"

Pru's heart broke at the timid question and she held the girl tighter, kissing her temple. "You're safe here, sweetheart. It's okay." Tori searched her eyes for another moment before deciding her words were truth and bringing a small hand up to her cheek.

"Bonita...como mi mami." She teared up when she spoke, her words breaking into sobs.

Pru wordlessly held her head to her shoulder as she cried and whispered into her ear. "Come on, sweetheart, can you tell us where your mama is?" She tucked a loose strand of hair behind a small ear.

Tori hiccuped and her lip trembled as she rubbed her cheeks with the heel of her hand. "St-stay without...tío said go 'way and hurt me," she whimpered, rubbing her breastbone over the tattoo, "me dejaron en el bosque." She rested wounded and distrusting eyes on Erwin, huddling closer to Pru. "El, no, esta bien?"

Pru locked eyes with Erwin for a second. "Yes, he's a good man. He won't hurt you, I promise." Tori flashed a timid smile, displaying little teeth, and relaxed into Pru's embrace. "Alright, sweetheart, do you want a bath? I'm sure you feel dirty." Tori's eyes lit up at the word bath and she nodded enthusiastically.

Erwin stood and said he'd go heat up some water, and half an hour later Tori was humming contently and splashing in the tub. Pru took the soap and ran it over her back, kneading lightly with her fingers over narrow shoulders. She washed Tori's hair next, scrubbing her scalp and running her fingers through her hair until the knots were gone. She was just starting to run the bar of soap along her arm when a little body streaked past her and leaned over the low edge of the tub and hugged Tori.

Jade held Tori close, regardless of how wet her dress was getting, and dropped a wet kiss on the brunette's cheek before standing back. "Hi, I'm Jade! I'm four!" She held up four fingers and her eyes twinkled merrily at Tori, who seemed to be stuck staring at the enthusiastic girl outside the tub. Jade's smile slowly dropped away and she looked dejected. "Did I do somethin' wrong? I's sorry, just wanted a new friend."

She looked ready to cry until Tori regained use of her vocal chords. "Friend...amiga? Hola, Jade."

Tori waved hesitantly from inside the tub and Jade smiled again. "You talk funny, I like you. Mama, can I take a bath with Tori?"

"If Tori doesn't mind, baby girl. Why don't you ask her?"

"Tori, can I take a bath with you, please? I gots dirt everywhere!" Jade lifted the hem of her dress to show off her dirty toes, wiggling them before looking through her eyelashes shyly at the small brunette. "Please Tor, I promise I won't splash you, but I really wanna bath." Tori nodded and Jade squealed, tugging her dress over her head with the help of her mother.

Soon, both girls were sitting together in the tub, giggling and enthusiastically scrubbing each other. Jade traced Tori's tattoo with a finger and turned to Pru. "Mama, I wants one, too! Tor's got one, so's I needs one, too!"

Pru smiled sadly and lifted Tori from the tub, wrapping a towel around her and beginning to dry her off. "Bad people gave Tori that, you don't want one, baby girl. They hurt her when they gave her it."

Jade's grin faded and she stood in the water, standing on tiptoe to reach Tori's level. She leaned over the edge and kissed the tattoo, rubbing it with her thumb when she pulled back. "There, I kissed it all better. It don't hurt no more, does it Tor?"

Tori pressed her hand over the spot on her chest Jade had kissed, a not unpleasant warmth radiating from the place her lips had touched. "No, gracias Jade. You kiss it better." Pru smiled and set Tori down before retrieving Jade and drying her off, barely managing to get her into a clean set of clothes before she was darting from the room.

Erwin came in with an amused smile on his face and handed Pru an old shirt of his and a few minutes later the little brunette was walking into the sitting room where she was rushed by five kids, all eager for a new playmate. Tori seemed overwhelmed at first, but after a couple broken sentences and Jade yelling at them, they reached an accord and played a game of tag, making sure to include their new friend as they ran every which way around the yard.

Erwin and Pru watched from the back porch how Cat and Jade immediately took to her, staying close to Tori as Robbie tilted toward them, trying not to trip over his short legs. He managed to grab Cat's arm and gleefully tagged her before squealing and running as fast as he could. Cat looked around and took off after Jade and Tori, red pigtails flapping as she chased Jade underneath the apple tree.

She turned and ran after Oliver next, tagging his shoulder and dancing away, giggling, from his swiping hand. Oliver ran after her and tripped over his pant legs, tumbling in the dirt before coming to rest against Jade's leg underneath the apple tree, offering her a grin as he thumped his hand against her leg. "You's it, Jae!" He took off before Jade could recover and she gaped before crawling out from under the tree and running after her friends.

She chased after Cat and Tori and reached toward Cat, her hand grabbing air when Cat veered to the left suddenly. Jade tripped when her momentum met no resistance and fell headlong into a stand of saplings. There was a lot of rustling and then Jade reemerged, battered and scratched, with some tears in her dress. Pru started to get up but Tori beat her to Jade, running her fingers over the scratches on her face and arms. "Jade, okay?"

Jade sniffled and rubbed her cheek, her fist coming away with blood and she stared at the bright streak of crimson against her pale skin. Tori's forehead creased and she hummed anxiously as she ran her hands along Jade's arms, whispering under her breath so even Jade couldn't understand what she was saying. She couldn't miss the tingling that ran up and down her arms though, or the heat from Tori's palms as they traversed her skin. Goosebumps erupted when Tori's hand moved to her face while her other stayed against her wrist. She ran a finger across her cheek and the tingling started again and Jade felt the thin cut seal up on her cheek. She closed her eyes because it felt so nice and didn't see the way her eyes shown with silver as she ran her hands over Jade.

Tori lowered her hands and backed up slightly. "Jade, estás bien?"

Jade cracked open her eyes and smiled at Tori, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek. "Tori, you made it feel better! Mama, Tori's magic!"

Jade ran to Pru, who picked her up and checked her for any injuries. She found only smooth, unmarred skin and kissed her nose. "What happened, baby girl? How'd you manage to fall into the trees?"

Jade waved her arms wildly and said, "I tripped, mama! And I was hurted, but Tori made it better! She's magic, mama!"

The little girl was emphatic and Pru smiled at her gestures. "Yes, Tori's magic. What do you say to Tori for making your hurts better, baby girl?"

"Thank you, Tori!" Jade squirmed out of Pru's grip and ran back to Tori, throwing her arms around her neck and kissing her cheek again before grabbing her arms and leading her to Pru, presenting her as one might their beau to the family. "Mama, Tori's the bestest. What do you say for her magic?"

"Why, thank you Tori for your magic." She stooped to kiss Tori's forehead and smiled at the girl's blush. "Alright baby girl, we've got to go home now. Tell your friends goodbye, okay?"

"But mama, I wanna stay with Tori more," Jade whined. She held Tori's arm tightly and her lower lip trembled.

"Don't try that with me, Jade Catherine. Say goodbye to your friends, we'll see them soon, okay?" Jade ducked her head and nodded, moving to hug first Cat, pulling her pigtail gently; and then gingerly gripping Robbie and Oliver like they had some disease she could contract through touch. She pressed into Tori once more, this time kissing her lips soundly and giggling giddily when she pulled back.

"Thanks Tori! See you later!" She waved and grabbed Pru's free hand, the other occupied with Joseph's weight and the few gifts Jade had gotten.

When they left, all eyes turned to Tori, who gazed at them in dazed confusion. Erwin approached her slowly and squatted before the girl. "Tori, what did you do to Jade? I saw the cut on her face..." Tori scuffed a toe through the dirt and gradually met his eyes, silver rings still visible around her iris giving him the answer he sought.

"So you...you're a weaver, as well. Alright, Tori, I believe we each have some explaining to do." Tori looked apprehensive but took Erwin's hand nonetheless, allowing him to lead her into the house and set her at the table. The other kids trailed in behind them and scattered in the sitting room, entertaining themselves with the toys Erwin had made.

He and Tori talked quietly in the kitchen, he slowly deciphering her broken sentences. He eventually found out that she had seen her sister cut herself on a stone when they were playing and, in trying to fix it, had inadvertently healed her sibling. She told Erwin that her sister had run to their father, who in turn had gone to the clan leader, his brother, Tori's uncle. "I stay, please? I make no...trouble, si? Por favor, Señor Sikowitz." She looked up at him with wide, wet eyes, distrust warring with hope in them.

Erwin smiled a little and tweaked a strand of hair gently. "Of course, little one. I wouldn't make you go back out on your own. Here, come with me." he led her to the bedroom Robbie and Cat shared and said she could sleep with Cat in her bed.

Tori looked amazed and hugged Erwin as tightly as she could, releasing him only when a red streak latched onto her and knocked her over. "Hey, I'm Cat! You're sleeping with me? Poppa says I'm like a cat, I curl up to him in my sleep, I hope you don't mind!" The excited redhead didn't give Tori a chance to respond before dragging her to the bed and into it, relaxing immediately into the pillow. Tori looked over at Erwin before yawning and turning toward Cat, both girls curling around each other as they fell asleep. Erwin carried a sleeping Robbie in a few minutes later and laid him in the other bed, drawing the covers up before creeping from the room.

* * *

So, there's that, then. As always, questions, concerns, and critiques can be given to me *waves* and to everyone who celebrates it, have a good Valentines Day! Or as I call it, Singles Awareness Day. Have a great week, bye!


	5. Heat and Heartstrings

Next chapter! So, you guys are getting an extra long chapter since i couldn't find a good place to end it before then, but usually I'll be aiming for 4500 words or so. Not much else to say, read on!

Victorious Rox2014-Thanks, dude! Glad you like it so far!

Jessmi1-It's alright, I forget to review myself ^/^ I've actually got to get to a certain event before I can time skip, but once that event occurs, I will definitely be flash forwarding at least five years, probably closer to ten. I don't have a social account for this pen name, but you cane always PM me if you have questions or wanna talk.

Azkadellio-Just wait, shit's gonna hit the fan in a bit. Everyone is going to be canon, there are just certain events that need to take place before that can happen.

ScottyBgood-It's gonna get interesting, trust me. My biggest problem right now is keeping everything moving forward while still getting important things in the writing as well as keeping you all interested in the fic. Thanks for reviewing!

TimelessReader-Unfortunately, it is necessary to kill Pru. You've no idea how little I want to kill her, but she really needs to go in order for the story to go where I want it to. I genuinely feel bad writing about her dying.

Enjoy!

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"I stay, please? I make no...trouble, si? Por favor, senor Sikowitz." She looked up at him with wide, wet eyes, distrust warring with hope in them.

Erwin smiled a little and tweaked a strand of hair gently. "Of course, little one. I wouldn't make you go back out on your own. Here, come with me." he led her to the bedroom Robbie and Cat shared and said she could sleep with Cat in her bed.

Tori looked amazed and hugged Erwin as tightly as she could, releasing him only when a red streak latched onto her and knocked her over. "Hey, I'm Cat! You're sleeping with me? Poppa says I'm like a cat, I curl up to him in my sleep, I hope you don't mind!" The excited redhead didn't give Tori a chance to respond before dragging her to the bed and into it, relaxing immediately into the pillow. Tori looked over at Erwin before yawning and turning toward Cat, both girls curling around each other as they fell asleep. Erwin carried a sleeping Robbie in a few minutes later and laid him in the other bed, drawing the covers up before creeping from the room.

* * *

Erwin walked down the hillside toward town with the kids, Robbie and Tori walking beside him while Cat ran down the hill partway and then turned and waved wildly, yelling for Tori. Tori looked up at Erwin with a question in her eyes and he smiled. "Go on, I don't mind. Just stay in my sight, okay?" Tori smiled and ran ahead, bowling into Cat and sending the two girls headlong into the grass along the path.

Happy giggles reached Erwin's ears as he walked closer and Robbie flung himself on the girls when he found them. Tori wheezed out a breath and gently shoved Robbie off her, gulping down air when his knee was removed from her stomach. "Robbie, what did I tell you about sitting on other people?" Erwin admonished him gently, smiling despite his intention to remain serious.

Robbie looked abashed and colored slightly. "Sorry, Tori, didn't mean to squish you." Tori smiled in acceptance and her eyes brightened.

"Ah, un momento, por favor?" She leaned over the grass and seemed to search through the blades for something, laying her hand over a section of green and whispering near silently. Erwin realized what she was doing and leaned down to stop her but was too slow, her eyes already turned silver as heat traveled from her chest to her fingertips. She coaxed early life through the bud, prompting it to open under her small hand and apologized as she picked it and offered it to Robbie. "Un presente para Robbie, si? It's okay, here." She pressed the small valley flower into the boy's hands as Cat squealed and clapped.

"Magic, Tori's magic! Poppa, did you see what she did, can I do it too?" Before Erwin could break in, the redhead had laid her hand over a clump of grass and squeezed her eyes shut, scowling in concentration. She frowned when nothing happened and tried again, feeling an unfamiliar but welcoming warmth flutter in her chest. She wiggled her fingers to coax the heat through her limbs and felt as it seemed to seep from her fingertips and into the ground, smiling brightly as a small area blossomed under her touch. "Poppa, I'm magic, too!"

Her eyes, caught between silver and light brown in her excitement, watched Erwin for the praise that normally came after she did something new. When she saw him frown and his lips thinned, the grin slipped from her face and she dug a couple fingers into the soft earth under her hands. "Sorry, poppa, I did something wrong?"

Erwin looked around quickly for anyone nearby and crouched down to Cat's level. "It's okay, Cat, you didn't do anything wrong. But, you can't do that in front of anyone but me, Robbie, or Tori, okay?" She nodded slowly and he sat in front of her, leveling a look at each child. "None of you can tell anyone what Cat or Tori did, alright?"

"Why?" Robbie cocked his head to the side curiously.

"Because...other people would be jealous of what you can do." Erwin warmed to the lie and tried to explain. "There aren't many others who can do what you two did, and they would be angry because they can't. So, you mustn't tell anyone what you did, or show them, okay?" He waited for the three kids to nod before standing and dusting his pants off.

"Alright then, kiddos, let's get into town. A couple little girls I know need some clothes that actually fit." Tori blushed and fingered the shirt that Erwin had cut the sleeves from and tied around the waist with a bit of ribbon, scuffing a toe in the dirt.

They walked through town, Cat and Robbie running ahead and after each other while Tori walked timidly behind Erwin. She felt self-conscious in the clothes she was in, and felt the eyes of the town's inhabitants on her back. In a moment of insight that belied her youthfulness, the brunette realized they were staring at her, not because of what she was wearing, because Cat had nearly the same garb after her recent growth spurt, but because she looked different than everyone she saw.

She ducked her head and let her hair curtain in front of her face when she saw other kids pointing at her in unabashed curiosity before their mothers grabbed their hands and hid them protectively behind their dresses. She reached up and grabbed Erwin's hand, holding three of his fingers tightly within her grip. He looked down at her in surprise as she had never instigated any kind of contact with him after their meeting a couple days ago, but curled his hand around hers nonetheless. He saw her shoulders hunch and glanced around quickly, finding many eyes on them.

Stooping to pick her up, Erwin whispered to Tori, "Ignore them, little one. They are fools if they think you're bad because you're different looking." He gave her an encouraging smile and she settled against his side, tucking her face into his neck as though his honeysuckle and apple scent alone would put off the stares and whispers she could feel.  
They walked that way to the cloth shop and Erwin deposited Tori on the ground and walked over to the woman behind the counter, a young black woman whose hair fell about her full cheeks in tight curls. She turned bright brown eyes on him and asked in a rich voice, "How can I help you, mister?" Erwin smiled and introduced himself, asking her name. "I'm Abby Harris, Mister Sikowitz."

"Ah, just Erwin, please." She smiled prettily, displaying even, white teeth, and blushed.

"Then, please call me Abby, Mister Erwin. What can I help you with today?" Erwin turned and saw Cat and Tori running in the shop, feeling the different bolts of cloth on the racks while Robbie trailed behind them.

"Those two lovely ladies need new clothes. They outgrew their old ones and I don't think they're very happy with wearing my old shirts."

As if on cue, Cat launched herself at his legs and climbed up him, simian like, until she was clasping his shirt collar and staring wide eyed at Abby. "Hi, I'm Cat! You look kind of like Tori, but only darker, did you dye your skin? Poppa says that what Tori did, she rolled around in brown dye until she was darker because she wanted to be different, but I don't mind different 'cause he says I'm a little different too, but in a good way. Hey, who's that behind your dress?" The redhead slid down Erwin's frame and dashed behind the counter, pulling a young boy around five out from behind Abby's dress and introducing herself to him by exclaiming, "I'm Cat!" She wrapped her arms around his neck to plant a kiss on his cheek.

The boy blushed scarlet underneath his cocoa colored skin and disentangled himself from her grasp before saying peevishly, "I don't like girls, you've got cooties." He uttered the word like it was anathema, crossing his arms and scowling mightily.

Cat's face fell and she looked back at Erwin with watery eyes. "Poppa, he do-doesn't like me 'cause I'm a girl? But-"

Abby leaned down and caressed Cat's head. "No, my boy's just stubborn. Andre, be nice and say hello to Cat like the gentleman I'm trying to raise you to be."

Andre, recognizing the steel in his mother's voice, grudgingly uncrossed his arms and stiffly held his hand out to Cat. "I'm Andre."

He shook her hand and retreated once more beyond her reach and Abby shook her head in good natured frustration. "Stubborn boy, what will you do when you suddenly realize you like a girl?"

"I won't!" He said vehemently, shaking his head to emphasize his point. "I'm never gonna like girls, mama, you're the only one I like!" Abby smiled down at him and picked him up to plant a kiss against his cheek while he protested and set him down.

Tori shyly stepped up to the counter and got Abby's attention when she tugged on Erwin's pant leg. "Ah, yes, Abby, will you get these girls some clothes that fit them?" Abby smiled at Cat and reached for Tori's hand, waiting until she slowly took it before leading them to a room at the back.

"Alright girls, let's make you a couple dresses." There was shuffling and mutters from behind the curtain, followed by a sigh and then, "Andre? Where's my measure?"

The boy looked up from the book in his lap, holding a finger where he had stopped. "Dunno, mama. Look in your box?"

There was more shuffling, a curse and several quiet giggles as Abby sucked on the finger she had pinched when she shut the lid on it. "It's not there, Andre. Where'd you hide it, boy?"

Andre hid a snicker behind his hand, eyes sliding between the curtain and a basket beside it. Erwin smiled at the mischievous expression in his eyes as Andre swung his legs against the chair he was sitting in. "It maybe's in a place..." The curtain swung back to reveal Abby's stern eye, fast gait quickly closing in on the boy's place behind the counter.

She stooped down to his level and waited for him to meet her eyes. "Where'd you hide it, Andre?" Her voice didn't sway him and he grinned widely, waiting for her to pull the next card to coerce him into revealing the location of the measure. "You'd better tell me...or I can't be held accountable for what I do." The blase expression faded from Andre's face for a second before he summoned it back, but Abby saw her opportunity and her hands rushed to dig into the boy's sensitive skin. Andre arched and laughter stuttered out between his lips as he twisted to get away from his mother's fingers. Abby followed and trapped Andre against the chairs back, tickling his sides and smiling as he gasped and squirmed futilely.

"'Kay, o-o_kay_, ma-mama, it's in thngh ti-tickles, _stop_, b-bas_ket!_" Andre managed to twist away from Abby's fingers and launched himself across the floor, running to the opposite corner of the room and watching her with bright eyes and a flushed face. Abby smiled serenely and dug the measure from the basket before retreating behind the curtain again.

While she was in the back room with the girls, Erwin kept an eye on Robbie and Andre, who seemed to have taken a liking to each other. Abby emerged from the back room after a while and told Erwin she could have one set of clothes ready in a day or so, if he wanted to come back the next day and check in. "Your older girl, Tori, she doesn't want a dress. She asked if I could make her pants and a shirt for her to wear instead. I told her I would ask you about it." She smoothed out nonexistent wrinkles from her dress as she searched Erwin's eyes.

"I...don't see why not, if that's what she's comfortable wearing. May I talk to her?" Abby gestured to the back room and followed Erwin behind the curtain. Cat and Tori were sitting quietly, each seeming to be caught in their thoughts. "Tori?" The brunette's head swiveled and she watched Erwin with solemn eyes. "Why do you want to wear pants instead of a dress, little one?" She took a moment to answer, idly swinging her legs against the chair supports.

"I...don't fit already, si? Yo soy un paria, and girls don't wear them. And pantalones, ahm, pants are...easy? Even if they are for boys?"

"Comfortable, not easy," Erwin corrected gently. "You're not an outsider with us, Tori, everyone else's opinion shouldn't matter to you, but if you want to wear pants, then I won't stop you." He ruffled her hair and smiled at her squeal before asking Abby if she needed anything else.

"No, just come by tomorrow with these two and we'll make sure everything fits correctly." Erwin thanked her and led the two girls toward the front of the store where he told Robbie they had to go and waved goodbye to Andre, who hesitantly waved back. Cat waved enthusiastically as well and Andre adopted a scowl, sticking his tongue out at the redhead. Cat stuck her tongue out in return and scrunched her eyes shut as she blew a raspberry before stalking from the shop. Erwin met Abby's eyes at the back of the shop and they shook their heads as he left, calling for the kids to wait for him instead of running down the road.

They trailed back to him and he asked if they wanted to stop in and see Jason and Molly for a while. Robbie and Cat grinned widely and nodded their heads while Tori stood with her head cocked to the side curiously. Erwin reached for her hand and they all walked toward the edge of town, reaching the Byrd's house in a few minutes.

Erwin rapped on the door and it was opened by Molly, who was immediately mobbed by Robbie and Cat. They launched themselves at her and seemed to wrap themselves around her body and Molly swayed, laughing as she tried to pry them from her dress. She noticed Tori half hiding behind Erwin's leg as she set Cat down and smiled gently, beckoning her with a hand. Tori's eyes widened and she scooted a little further behind Erwin's leg and Molly regarded her with a smile playing on her lips. "I won't hurt you, dear. What's your name?"

Tori scrunched up her nose like she couldn't remember while she searched Molly's eyes, stepping out from behind Erwin's leg after a moment's consideration. "Tori. I'm Tori."

"Well, Tori, it's nice to meet you. I'm Molly, are you hungry? I've got some biscuits I just made, and there's fresh honey on the table." Tori's eyes lit up at the mention of the golden liquid and she nodded enthusiastically. Molly reached for her hand and they retreated to the kitchen, Erwin trailing behind them where he saw Cat already making a mess on the table. Robbie was watching her worriedly as she spooned out honey and ate it straight from the utensil, eyes closing in delight.

She drew the spoon from her mouth and leaned over the mason jar to scoop another spoonful of the amber liquid from within. She stared at the honey and her movements slowed, the spoon hovering above the flat surface of the semi viscous liquid as she stared blankly into it. Molly reached toward her but Erwin stopped her hand, noting the redhead's silvered eyes and dilated pupils. "What..."

"Just, wait a moment, Molly. I think she-"

He was interrupted as Cat inhaled sharply, the sound like a gunshot in the nearly silent room. Tori's hand gripped around Molly's briefly as Erwin stepped over to Cat and cautiously laid a hand on her shoulder. Wide brown eyes met his and Cat rambled, "Poppa, there were pictures in the honey! I-I saw you, and Tori, and Tori was wearing pants, and Robbie was there, too! And so was I, and we all looked really sad."

The redhead's voice dropped off as she frowned and Erwin crouched beside her chair. "Did you see anything else in the honey, Kitty?"

Cat's brow knit in thought, but she shook her head. "No, poppa, there was just us walking, and Tori was crying, but-oh! Um, there were trees, the ones with the spines? And there was a hole."

Erwin frowned and glanced back at Molly, their eyes sending and receiving information wordlessly. "Alright, kids, who wants some stew? I just made some yesterday." Molly quickly diverted their attention from Cat's words and the kids crowded around the metal pot while she ladled out food into bowls. Once they were eating, Molly and Erwin retreated to the sitting room and Molly sat heavily in the chair, hands twining together anxiously as Erwin paced. "Was that...what was it?"

"I believe Cat was shown a vision of some sort, something that will occur in the future if nothing changes. It's the images that worry me. A hole and pine trees, it sounds like-"

"The cemetery." Molly's quiet sigh coincided with Erwin's, and they waited silently for the other to continue. "It sounded like the cemetery at the edge of town, didn't it?"

Erwin nodded sadly, his thoughts running down an unpleasant track. "Molly, you can't tell anyone about this, alright?"

"I know, Erwin, I haven't said anything to anyone yet. I won't, you can trust me." Her eyes were earnest and he offered up a slight smile before it faded again.

"New seers can't see very far into the future at first, and they're unpredictable at best because the weaver is so new to it."

"So, does that mean it might not happen?" Molly seemed to latch onto that thought immediately, her posture indicating her anxiety and fear.

"I...don't know. It could, but death is rarely uncertain, Molly. I wouldn't bet against her, even though she is new." Erwin rubbed her face wearily and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He shrugged helplessly and walked back into the kitchen, watching the kids eat vigorously. Robbie smiled at him through a mouthful of food, broth dripping down his chin and spoon wobbling in his hand. "Alright guys, let's get you cleaned up so we can go home."

Cat whined and ran to Molly, grabbing her skirt in an attempt to attach herself. "Please let me stay, Aunt Molly! I promise I won' be bad, I wanna stay with you and see Uncle Jason." She turned wide, watery eyes on the woman and Molly looked at Erwin and nodded a little.

"Fine, but," he spoke over Cat's excited squeals, "if Molly gets tired of you or you make too much trouble, it's straight home, young lady. Are we clear?"

"Yes, poppa, thank you!" Cat ran over and planted a sticky kiss on Erwin's cheek and he affectionately tugged on a pigtail before she ran back to Molly.

"I wouldn't mind taking Robbie and Tori as well, Erwin, if you wanted a night to yourself." Erwin looked down at the other two and asked them if they wanted to stay. Robbie nodded happily but Tori retreated to his side, holding his pant leg and regarding Molly with a wary eye.

Erwin took Tori's hand and they left the Byrd's, starting the trek back to their house. Halfway through town, Erwin stopped suddenly and she looked up at him curiously. "Do you want to stop and see Miss Pru and Jade for a while, Tori? I know you liked them." Tori thought and nodded slowly and they turned down a street, walking toward the center of town. They reached the West's doorstep a few minutes later and Erwin knocked on the door as Tori stared at the structure in fascination. "What do you think, Tori?"

"Esta muy grande...there are no trees," Tori pointed out, glancing at the bare yard and standing on her tiptoes to peek through the window. She squealed and backpedaled into Erwin's legs as the window abruptly opened and a dark head poked out.

"Tori, Tori, you're here! Wanna play?" Jade grinned and leaned further out the window, losing her balance and tumbling to the ground beneath it. She sat up and shook her head, displacing the dirt and grass in her hair before leaping on Tori and hugging her tightly. "Come on, I wanna show mama you came!"

She dragged Tori through the door just as a manservant opened it and he stared blankly at the two small forms dashing down the hallway before turning his gaze on Erwin. "May I help you?"

"Ahm, yes, you see...the dark haired one is mine. We wanted to visit Pru."

The manservant stood aside and allowed Erwin to pass, shutting the door behind him. Erwin followed behind the man as they walked toward the stairs. "I'm afraid Miss Pru isn't feeling the best right now. She has been in bed today, but if she's awake you may visit for a while." Erwin saw Tori and Jade disappear from the top of the stairs and their footsteps echoed down the hallway.

The girls ran down the corridor to a room near the end and Jade quietly opened the door, leading Tori into the room. The bedroom's occupant was sitting up in bed with a book in her lap, hair escaping the bun it had been hastily tied into. Pru looked up as the door opened and her eyes creased as she smiled. "Jade, who've you brought here?"

"Mama, Tori came to say hi! I wanted to show her to you," Jade led Tori forward by her hand until they stood beside the bed and Pru swept Jade's bangs back from her face.

"Well, I can't see her very well down there. Why don't you two crawl up here and keep me company?" Jade hopped onto the bed and curled into Pru's side while Tori sat hesitantly on the edge, feet swinging against the side. "Tori, why don't you come closer? I'm afraid I'm not feeling very well today." Tori slowly crawled up so she sat stiffly beside Pru, staring at her with a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah, the doctor says mama's gots to stay in bed today. I wish I could stay in bed mama, then I wouldn't have to see Oliver."

Pru swept back Jade's hair again from where it had escaped her braid. "I thought you liked Oliver, baby girl? He's a nice little boy, isn't he?"

Jade crossed her arms and frowned. "No, he's icky," she said adamantly. "He tries to kiss me and won't stop pulling my hair."

Pru smiled even as her eyes took on a melancholy cast. "Don't you know that if a boy pulls your hair, it means he likes you? It's magic," she chuckled as Jade tucked herself closer.

Tori knelt beside her and her hand pressed hesitantly against Pru's cheek, her healthy tone contrasting sharply against the woman's sallow skin. They watched each other silently, Jade shifting restlessly as Tori tried desperately to summon the heat she could feel in the chest to her fingertips. She could feel it shifting under her skin but it wouldn't move and her lips thinned as she pushed harder. Her eyes took on a shiny cast as she slowly pulled back. "Wish I could make the hurt stop."

Pru brought up a thin hand, tendons standing out in sharp relief, and brushed back her hair. "It's not your place to try and help me, Tori. Everything is in the Gods' hands now." She ghosted a kiss over Tori's cheek. "Thank you, sweetheart, for trying to make me better. Here, come sit with me." Tori scooted closer, burying her small frame against Pru's, and she put her arms around both girls. "There, I've got my two favorite girls to keep me company today, right?"

Tori and Jade nodded, a small smile appearing on Tori's face as she laid her hand on Pru's blanket covered waist. The door opened and three sets of eyes watched the manservant enter, his normally stoic countenance shaky and eyes suspiciously bright. "Miss Pru," he coughed and composed himself, "there's a Mr. Sikowitz here to see you. Do you feel well enough to have visitors?"

"Of course, just because my husband says I'm not to be disturbed doesn't mean that I can't disagree with him." The manservant nodded and let Erwin in, closing the door behind him and wiping his eyes discreetly, leaving the four people to themselves. "Erwin, how nice of you to stop in, and you brought Tori with you. Thank you for coming."

Erwin sat in the chair by the bed and took Pru's hand and flashed a smile. "It's our pleasure to see you, Pru. How are you feeling?"

Pru barked out a laugh and her face twisted in pain. "Well, I've had better days. I've also had worse, so I can't really complain." She shook her head and laid back against the pillows. "What about you, Erwin? I heard you took a job here in town?"

"Yes, I didn't want to leave the kids alone so I took a job at the schoolhouse. That way, I can stay close and when they're old enough, they can go to school as well."

"Really? Jade, that means you get to see Mr. Erwin soon again." Pru looked down at her daughter.

Jade cocked her head at Erwin, curling closer to Pru. "Is Tori goin' too?"

Tori started at the sound of her name, having been half asleep against Pru's shoulder. "Well..."

"Please, Mr. Erwin, I really want Tori to go with me, too." Jade turned wide eyes on the man. "I'd learn better if she went with me."

Erwin's eyes bounced between the two young girls in indecision. "I don't know...Tori, what do you think? Do you want to go to school?"

"What is school?"

Pru answered before Erwin could. "It's a place where kids like you and Jade go to learn things like reading, writing, history, and you can play together during the day."

Tori's brow scrunched up in thought. "I think...yes?" Jade squealed and crawled over Pru to give Tori a hug, talking excitedly about how fun it would be.

"Alright girls; Jade, why don't you and Tori go play for a while? Don't wander away from the house!" Pru called as they ran out of the room. She chuckled wearily and returned her attention to Erwin. He watched her settle more comfortably against the pillows and seem to deflate a little.

"How long?"

She averted her eyes and played with the quilt over her lap. "They don't know, exactly. The doctor doesn't think I'll see the end of the year, though." She swallowed thickly and blinked away her tears. "I don't want to leave her, leave any of you, Erwin. I'm so afraid of what will happen to her when I've died. She's so loving and open, I'm so worried she'll close herself off." She whispered hoarsely, hands trembling in her lap.

"She has Tori now; I'm not saying that she'll replace you, but I think my girl will help Jade after..."

"Yeah. They're a pair, aren't they? They've only known each other for a while, and they're already inseparable." Pru's smile wavered on her lips and she turned her head to the window facing outside where she could hear the girls laughing. "I wish Tori were a boy, they could get married and I wouldn't have to worry about this Oliver boy. Edward seems good enough, but his son is spoiled. He's going to grow up expecting the world and worse, he'll have the clout to get it."

She frowned and Erwin took one of her hands, easing the tightened knuckles so her nails didn't cut into her palm. "My husband is so intent on making a name for himself that he's unwilling to see Jade as anything but a means to an end. He wanted to have her privately tutored, you know. 'I don't want her associating with those dirty youths who reside in this town.'" She mimicked Thomas' deep voice with an angry glint in her eyes.

"My youths are very clean...well, Cat's usually clean, and Robbie is clean when he stops trying to eat dirt," Erwin joked, drawing a laugh from Pru's mouth. He smiled and led the conversation in a safer direction and they talked for several hours, the shadows growing longer in the bedroom until a maid came in and lit several lamps, leaving the room silently after she finished. "I should get going, Pru. I can't believe I spent so long talking with you, Tori must think I've forgotten about her."

Pru drew back the covers and swung her legs off the bedside, standing slowly and waving off Erwin's protests. "I'm sick, not made of glass, Erwin. Stop worrying so much, I just want to find Jade. I'm sure the two of them are together." Erwin looped her arm through his and they proceeded down the stairs, looking through rooms as they went and calling for the girls. They asked several servants if they had seen either girl, and one woman said she'd seen them outdoors not too long ago.

They walked behind the house but didn't see them immediately, and the lengthening shadows made Pru tighten her grip on Erwin's arm nervously. They walked to a stand of trees and saw several small footprints in the soft dirt and followed them toward the heart of the cluster. Closing in on a particularly large tree, the footprints disappeared and Pru's expression became alarmed. She looked ready to call out but Erwin held up a hand for silence and pointed into the limbs of the tree. Looking up, Pru's eyes softened and an affectionate smile graced her lips.

The girls were asleep on the wide lower limb, Tori's back leaning against the trunk as she held Jade securely against her. Jade's nose was buried in Tori's neck, her arms around her waist and breath feathering across her skin. Erwin reached up and gently disentangled Jade, easing her into Pru's arms as he reached again and slid Tori off the limb. They laid limp in the adults' arms, sound asleep as they walked back toward the house.

"Why don't you and Tori stay here for the night? I'm sure you don't want to carry her all the way back to your house, the Gods know it's no short walk."

Erwin shook his head as they walked through the back door, adjusting Tori so her head rested against his shoulder. "I couldn't do that to you, Pru. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to stay and where would you put Tori?"

"It's not as if we would be sleeping in the same room, Erwin, there are guest rooms that are unoccupied," Pru said softly, cradling Jade against her chest. "And Tori could sleep with Jade. Come on, Erwin, the light's nearly gone. Stay." She stopped walking just inside the kitchen doorway and looked back at Erwin, her look giving him no choice in the matter.

"Yes ma'am." He followed her up the stairs and into Jade's room. They laid the girls side by side in the bed and Pru drew the covers up and they tiptoed from the room. Pru showed Erwin to a guest room and asked a maid to bring him a change of clothes, bidding him goodnight and shutting the door behind herself. She sank against the wall for a moment, getting her bearings as a wave of nausea swept over her. Pushing off the wall, she strode slowly down the hallway, reaching out occasionally when she felt as though she was going to fall.

She grabbed the knob to her room and shut it gently behind herself, laying a hand against her abdomen and biting her lip before forcing herself to walk across the room and take a nightdress from her dresser. She pulled her dress over her head and replaced it with the light sleeping dress, letting her hair tumble from its confines as she pulled the covers back on her bed. Laying underneath them, she closed her eyes and felt the cold space beside her with her hand. She took the unused pillow and held it close, imagining it was her husband's body when he still loved her; before he had his various infidelities after they found out about her illness. Pulling the covers to her chin, Pru focused on her heartbeat, blocking out the residual dizziness and spots that flickered across her vision even after prostrating herself and eventually fell asleep, still clutching the pillow close to her body.

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So, there's that! Hope you all enjoyed, and don't forget to leave concerns, critiques, and questions in the box below here. Any prompts/additions are welcome to hear about as well. Until next time, bye!


	6. Tempers

So, here's the next chapter! Not much to say other than I absolutely love your guys' responses to these chapters. They are absolutely fantastic! You're getting this chapter early because I have a concert to perform at on Wednesday and won't be home until really late and won't have internet. Updates will resume at their normal time next Wednesday.

Azkadellio-Got it in one. I'm trying to treat these kids the way myself and my friends acted when we were their age, and some of the boys hated girls, while some of us didn't trust easily. Enjoy!

ScottyBgood-I know, and I'm sorry but it is, unfortunately, necessary to further the story. A lot certainly hinges on Jade's reactions to upcoming events, but we will soon skip ahead a ways and everyone will behave essentially as they do in the show.

21BrokenPromises-I clicked on your review and just...wow. Words do not exist to express my sincere gratitude for the lengthy and flattering review you left me. I cannot say enough how humbled I was by it. Thank you again, and my offer still stands if you have any ideas. *hands a cookie* You rock, dude!

Arcus Iris-Unfortunately, I am using google translate. Like I said, it's been seven years since I've spoken spanish regularly, and I've sadly forgotten much of it. I don't have word, I'm actually using Libre Office, so I'm forced to use Google. It's the only option I have other than my foggy memory, which reminds me of certain things when it deigns them important enough.

Victorious Rox2014-Thanks, dude! Read on!

darksaber92-I know it is, and he definitely is. There's a reason for it though, other than that just being his general disposition.

T0ran-Why thank you. I thought Tori wouldn't mind using her magic with her new group because of teh talk she had with Sikowitz when they first met. He didn't immediately negatively react, so she [remember she's five] equated that with her weaving being alright with him.

TimelessReader-One certainly can, dude :) Dream on, it makes her parting less bittersweet.

Alright, enough from the peanut gallery, enjoy!

* * *

They laid the girls side by side in the bed and Pru drew the covers up and they tiptoed from the room. Pru showed Erwin to a guest room and asked a maid to bring him a change of clothes, bidding him goodnight and shutting the door behind herself. She sank against the wall for a moment, getting her bearings as a wave of nausea swept over her. Pushing off the wall, she strode slowly down the hallway, reaching out occasionally when she felt as though she was going to fall.

She grabbed the knob to her room and shut it gently behind herself, laying a hand against her abdomen and biting her lip before forcing herself to walk across the room and take a nightdress from her dresser. She pulled her dress over her head and replaced it with the light sleeping dress, letting her hair tumble from its confines as she pulled the covers back on her bed. Laying underneath them, she closed her eyes and felt the cold space beside her with her hand. She took the unused pillow and held it close, imagining it was her husband's body when he still loved her; before he had his various infidelities after they found out about her illness. Pulling the covers to her chin, Pru focused on her heartbeat, blocking out the residual dizziness and spots that flickered across her vision even after prostrating herself and eventually fell asleep, still clutching the pillow close to her body.

* * *

Erwin rose with the sun and found a basin of warm water on the bureau with a towel and soap beside it. After washing himself, he dressed in a pair of pants and shirt that was only a little large on him and pulled his soft soled boots onto his feet, walking quietly down the hallway to the girls' room. He twisted the knob and slowly eased the door open so it wouldn't creak and saw the girls were still sleeping. They had gravitated toward each other in the night and now were tangled together, arms and legs gripping the other so they shared heat and contact. Jade's head was tucked under Tori's, her face in much the same position it had been the previous evening so Tori's hair fluttered every time Jade took a breath.

He crept over to the bedside and brushed back a strand of hair from Tori's forehead, holding his breath when she murmured and shifted in her sleep. Jade's grip on her waist tightened and she curled closer into Tori's body, each one attuned to the movements of the other, even unconsciously. Erwin backed from the room slowly and went to find a maid, asking her for ink and paper so he could write a note for Pru. After asking the maid to deliver it to Pru, he took his leave and strode from the house, grabbing an apple on his way out.

Not long after he left, Pru drowsily woke as two small bodies situated themselves next to her. Blindly reaching out, she pulled them closer and kissed their foreheads. "Jade, Joseph?"

A little giggle reached her ear and a small hand found a hold in her night dress. "No, it's me and Tori, mama. We wanted to sleep with you a little." The half coherent explanation was enough to make Pru open an eye and peer down at the head of hair nestled into her other side. Tori sleepily watched her, unguarded eyes lidded and dark with sleep. The girl offered up a smile that turned into a yawn and cuddled closer, resting her head on Pru's shoulder as her breaths evened out. Jade half laid on top of her mother, ear to her chest as she listened to her heart beat. She mumbled incoherently and drifted off again and Pru held her close, sinking back into sleep.

* * *

Jade and Tor ran around upstairs, chasing each other while Pru woke up Joseph. "Tori, come on, catch me!" Jade squealed when Tori lunged for her and barely dodged the girl, running toward the other end of the hall. Tori bumped into the wall as she pivoted and ran in the other direction, tripping over her feet and grinning widely.

"Jade, slow down!" Jade looked over her shoulder to see Tori lagging, scowling when she tripped over the hem of her dress again.

She giggled and turned so she was facing Tori, still walking slowly backwards. "Come on slowpoke, are you gonna give up that easy?" She stuck her tongue out when Tori looked at her and kept walking backwards.

Tori grabbed the hem of her dress and started walking, her eyes widening in alarm when she saw Jade getting close to the stairs. "Jade, stop!"

"Nuh uh, you'll catch me if I do." Jade took another step back. Her foot landed half on the top step, her heel finding nothing but air. Tori broke into a run as Jade's arms pinwheeled, her eyes panicked. She reached out and grabbed at Jade's wrist but couldn't stop moving forward and ran into the girl, sending them both tumbling down the stairs.

Tori managed to get herself under Jade's body and took the brunt of the fall, grunting as her back bounced against the steps. Her head cracked against a step and spots bounced across her vision, eyes rolling back in her head when it made contact with another step. They landed in the corner of the landing, Tori still underneath Jade who slowly extricated herself from her hold.

Shaking her head, Jade turned to Tori and froze when she saw that the small girl was unconscious. "Mama, Tori's hurt! Mama, hurry!" Pru ran from where she had just finished dressing Brice and came down the stairs, kneeling beside the girls. She quickly checked Jade for any injuries but found nothing wrong and turned her eyes to Tori.

A small pool of blood had gathered under her head and Pru told a maid who appeared at the bottom of the stairs to run for a cloth and water. She returned moments later and Pru set to work, turning Tori onto her side and finding the long gash just behind her ear that blood steadily flowed from. She pressed a towel to it and told the woman to get the doctor and tried to calm down her daughter, who was struggling not to cry. "Jade, it's alright-"

"No it's not, mama! Tor, she told me not to move, but I didn't listen!" Tears tracked down her face and she wiped at them ineffectually, hiccuping and sniffling loudly. "Now she's hurt. Can you make her better, mama?" Jade knelt beside the other two on the landing and hesitantly touched Tori's arm, running her hand down to her hand.

Pru lifted the towel and looked at the wound briefly before pressing against it again. "She'll be fine, baby girl. Do you want to help me?" Jade nodded and wiped her nose, blinking back the tears that wanted to flow. "Alright, grab another towel and put it in the bowl and wring it out. Can you press it _gently_ to the spot that's bleeding?" Jade nodded slowly, kneeling beside her mother and waiting for her to remove the bloody towel. She laid the wet one against the back of Tori's head and carefully ran the towel along the length of Tori's neck behind her ear, washing the blood from her skin and avoiding the gash.

Pru took the bloody towel from her hands and carefully cleaned the wound while Jade kept her hair away from the area. The long gash still bled freely and Pru told Jade to press the dry towel to it again, telling her to keep the towel against the wound while she waited for the doctor and walked to the top of the stairs to grab Joseph.

They went outside and nearly twenty minutes later the maid and the town's doctor walked up the steps. "Missus West, I hear you've had some excitement this morning. Let's see what I can do." Pru led them inside and gave Brice to the maid while she and the doctor went up to the landing where Jade still knelt beside Tori.

The doctor knelt beside her and asked if she knew what had happened. Jade sniffed and repeated her story while he pulled some things from his bag, swabbing her skin with an alcohol pad as she spoke. He took another look at the wound before it could begin to bleed again and grabbed a curved needle and some surgical thread, telling Pru that it didn't look like a threatening wound. "Head wounds bleed heavily at first because the blood is so close to the surface, but they're not usually as bad as they look. Here, sweetheart, can you do me a big favor?" He turned to Jade and patted the spot on the other side of him. "I need to be where you are, can you hold your friend's hand for me? She'll feel better soon, alright?"

Jade nodded and knelt on his other side, grabbing Tori's hand and holding it tightly. He tilted Tori's head so the gash was more accessible and stuck the needle through her skin, efficiently beginning the process of closing it up. He drew the needle through her skin and tugged the thread tight so it wouldn't come undone, occasionally blotting it with the towel as he worked. Pru swallowed and turned away, unable to watch while her daughter stared in fascination as the needle did its work. The neat stitches slowly drew the skin together and slowed the flow of blood and the doctor spoke to Jade as he worked, distracting her as she snuck peeks at the quickly closing wound.

She held Tori's hand tightly and wiped her nose with the back of her other hand, looking up at the doctor as he finished stitching up the wound and stood up. "The most you can do for her now is let her sleep somewhere comfortable until she wakes up." He leaned over and gently picked Tori up and asked Pru where he could set her. She took Jade's hand and led them upstairs, gesturing at Jade's bed. Before he could lay Tori on it, Pru told Jade to run and grab another towel and laid it over the pillow. The doctor laid Tori down and they all walked back downstairs where he grabbed his bag and let himself out.

He tipped his hat at a man who was coming up the step and kept walking, unaware that he had just passed Thomas, whose eyes bounced between the doctor's medical bag and the door of his house. He pushed through the door and saw a maid kneeling on the landing of the stairs, bucket and rag in hand as she scrubbed at the blood on the wood. He brusquely asked what had happened but she told him she didn't know, the missus had only told her to clean up the bloodstain.

Walking quickly up the stairs, he spotted Pru shutting the door to Jade's room and their eyes met. "What happened? Is Jade injured?" Pru stood in front of the door and wouldn't move when he tried to get by her, immovable even when he glared at her and stepped into her personal space.

"Jade's fine, Thomas." She tried to maneuver him away from the door.

"Then who..." He pushed by Pru and opened the door, seeing his daughter standing beside her bed, wide eyes watching him warily. A lump under the covers drew his attention and he crossed the room in a couple long strides, pulling the cover back to reveal the unconscious gypsy girl. "Who is this?" He rounded on Pru with an irate gleam in his eyes.

"She's my friend, daddy. Me and her were playing and I tripped on the stairs and Tori saved me." Jade tried to explain what had happened, brow furrowing in confusion when Thomas' fist clenched and he stepped threateningly toward his wife.

"What is that child doing in my house in the first place?"

"Thomas, it's not-"

"Prudence, why is that gypsy in my house? You know what they do." He gestured angrily at the girl in the bed behind him and his voice became louder, angrier.

"Thomas, calm down. She's only a girl-"

"That girl is a gypsy! They lie and cheat and steal; they're good for nothing vagrants that should be treated like pests!" His fist came down heavily on the dresser he was standing beside and Pru and Jade both jumped at the noise.

"Lower your voice, you'll wake her!" Pru hissed, jaw stiffening as she fought back her uneasiness. "She hurt herself and needs-"

"I will not have that creature in my house, damn it Prudence! Get her out of here before I throw her out!" Thomas pivoted on his heel to see wide amber eyes staring at him. Tori focused her hazy gaze on dark eyes under a stern brow, having woken when he started yelling. She scrambled back when he took a step toward her, wincing as the action caused her head to spin.

"Thomas! Stop right there!" Pru grabbed her husband's arm and pulled on it but he shrugged her off easily. He reached down to grab Tori's arm but found himself blocked suddenly by his daughter.

He stared down at Jade incredulously, her jaw set stubbornly in a similar manner to his. "Jadelyn, move." She shook her head and her lips thinned and they stared at each other. Thomas's lip curled and he grabbed at Jade, narrowly missing her arm when she leapt back. She crawled onto the bed and knelt defensively in front of Tori as Thomas straightened again. Before he could reach for her again, Pru appeared in front of him and shoved as hard as she could against his chest. He stumbled back and before he could recover she pushed him again, shutting the door in his face and pushing the lock into place.

She jumped back when the door shuddered and Thomas's voice breached the wood. "Prudence, open the damn door and get that cursed gypsy out of my house!" Pru warily watched the door as it shuddered with Thomas' weight but turned away and sat on the edge of the bed to bring the two girls into her arms. She situated herself against the headboard and whispered in their ears until the thumping stopped and then edged off the bed to peek through the door. When she saw Thomas stomping toward the stairs she breathed a sigh of relief and allowed the tension to flow from her shoulders.

A small hand wove into hers and Jade looked up at her. "Mama, what's wrong with daddy?" She looked curious and not a little scared but her voice was even and her hand didn't tremble.

Pru smiled sadly at the thought of her daughter learning at such a young age how to hide her emotions as she crouched before her. "Your daddy...baby girl, your daddy's a good man, you know that, right?" Jade nodded solemnly while Tori looked on with wide eyes from the bed. "He just doesn't know how to treat people who aren't the same as he is." She spoke slowly, trying to put her thoughts in terms both children would understand.

"He doesn't know much about the gypsies except what he's heard from others, and...he hasn't heard anything good about them." She walked back to the bed and stroked Tori's hair while Jade climbed in beside the girl and they seemed to curl around each other. "It's only ignorance, girls. I won't let him do anything to you." She leaned over and kissed both girls on their foreheads, smiling gently as Tori's eyes dropped and Jade tucked herself further into the curve of Tori's body. She walked out of the room and shut the door, leaning against it for a moment before pushing off. "I promise I won't let him hurt either of you."

* * *

Erwin slowly woke up with the sun, groaning and stretching before slipping out of bed. He walked to the girls' room in the back of the house and gently shook Tori awake. "Come on, little one, we've got to get up." Tori muttered unintelligibly but roused herself from sleep and got up, dragging her hand along the wall to lead herself to the kitchen. She sat down in front of an apple and bowlful of leftover stew and slowly ate it while Erwin fought with his trousers, grumbling about having to let them out soon. She finished breakfast and Erwin shooed her back into her room to get changed, finding his satchel and filling it with things he might need while he waited for her.

She came out a few minutes later in dark pants and a buttoned up shirt, sleeves haphazardly rolled up to her elbows and a newsboy cap perched on her head. Erwin chuckled and crouched down to roll her sleeves more evenly and quickly brushed her hair before setting the cap back on her head. "Are you ready?" She nodded and took his hand as they walked out of the house, stopping so he could grab a couple apples from the fruit laden branches and shove them into his satchel.

They walked down to the schoolhouse on the outskirts of town and Erwin led Tori inside, dropping his satchel by the desk at the front of the room. He perused the supplies on the shelves lining the room as Tori searched the closet by the door and peered outside the windows at the slowly waking town. "Senor Sikowitz-"

"Tori, how many times have I told you to call me Erwin, or Sikowitz? That mister stuff makes me feel old." Erwin smiled and Tori giggled as he pantomimed using a cane and hunched over, shaking his fist comically. He straightened back up and approached her, softly feeling the ridge of tissue behind her ear that was still pink with new skin. "Are you sure you want to be here today? It's alright if you don't start for a few more days."

"No, quiero estar aquí, Sen- Sikowitz." She tasted the singular word on her tongue slowly instead of preceding it with her normal honorific. "It doesn't hurt." She looked up at him with doe eyes and he smiled and nodded.

"Alright then. School doesn't start for another hour and a half, you can play outside if you want or stay in here with me." She nodded and explored the small building for a while longer before venturing outside. There was a stand of trees behind the schoolhouse and she happily climbed up into the lowest branches of a young oak tree, surveying the surrounding trees for more accessibility. She ended up climbing higher and settling in a large V some twenty feet above the ground, quietly practicing a couple simple spells that Erwin said would strengthen her abilities.

She was frowning in concentration when Sikowitz's voice faintly reached her ears. Sighing as she released the tiny ball of wind she was manipulating, she braced herself for a moment before descending from the tree. Hopping down from the lowest branch, she saw Sikowitz standing in the doorway looking for her and ran over to him. "Ah, there you are. Come in, I've something to discuss with you." Sikowitz leaned against his desk while Tori hopped on top of it, feet swinging idly in the air. "There will be about forty other kids here soon, and none of them know about us."

She caught the implication in the word and nodded in understanding. "Our magia."

"Exactly. So, you can't do anything that would tip them off or show anyone, alright? No healing anyone like you did with Jade when you first met, no twirling stones, no dust devils, okay?" He waited for her to nod before pushing off the desk.

He had just set Tori on the ground when the door abruptly opened and a small body in a blue dress hurled itself at Tori. "Tori, Tori, you're here!" Jade hugged her tightly and Tori grinned while Erwin faced the man standing at the doorway.

"Where's Pru? I thought she would have brought Jade to school."

The manservant looked faintly uncomfortable and cleared his throat before replying. "Miss Pru...is not feeling well today." He omitted the fact that Pru had been coughing up blood the night before and could barely get out of bed to wash herself. Erwin looked concerned and frowned while the girls talked quietly by the desk, Tori half listening to Jade while also watching Erwin's face.

The manservant left and Erwin returned to his desk, shuffling papers around while Tori and Jade ran outside. Jade chased Tori to the trees behind the building and grabbed her cap from her head, dancing backwards when Tori pivoted and scrambled after her. They chased each other around the building until other children began trickling into the area and Tori managed to grab her cap, setting it firmly on her head while sticking her tongue out at Jade. Before she could run after her again, Erwin came out and yelled for everyone to come inside, waiting by the door as groups of kids ran in and jostled each other for seats so they could sit next to friends.

Once everyone had sat down, Erwin walked up to the front of the room and introduced himself. "Good morning, everyone. I'm Mr. Sikowitz, I'll be teaching you this year. Now, let's introduce ourselves and figure out where each of you are in terms of learning and we'll go from there." They spent the morning learning each other's names and then Sikowitz told everyone to practice their letters and he would be around to them as soon as he could. He sat with each child and they practiced some simple math and writing, gauging everyone's adeptness as he went. Once he was done, he stood and told them they could go outside for lunch for a while and he would have their seat arrangements ready when they came back in.

Everyone broke for the door immediately, the younger ones squealing and giggling madly as they chased each other while the older kids sat with each other and talked in groups. Tori and Jade walked out together and a little blonde and brunette ran to Jade, talking animatedly as they dragged her toward a shaded area. Tori followed hesitantly behind, one hand in her pocket while the other thumbed the apple Erwin had given her. The two girls gestured for Jade to sit beside them amongst a group of several other kids, all of whom were dressed rather finely with silky dresses and clean shoes. Tori glanced down at her bare feet and scuffed a toe through the dirt, taking a bite from her apple as Jade giggled at something one of the girls had said.

The blonde glanced at Tori as she stood awkwardly behind Jade and leaned over to whisper something to another girl with freckles and a blue bow in her hair sitting beside her and they exchanged looks between themselves and the gypsy girl before standing and dusting their dresses off. They walked over to Tori and stood in front of her with narrow eyes and the blonde looked like something unpleasant had crawled up her leg. "Who are you? You look like a gypsy; my mama says that gypsies are dirty and sneaky." She rocked back and forth in her shoes and her friend giggled.

Tori frowned and glanced down at her feet again but didn't say anything. The blonde girl cocked her head and bared her teeth in a smile, nudging her friend and speaking up slightly. "Mama says gypsies are stupid, too, 'cause they don't talk like we do. I bet you're a gypsy, 'cause you're not saying anything. I bet you don't even know what I'm saying!" She stuck her tongue out at Tori and her friend giggled and leaned over to whisper into her ear. They laughed and glanced at Tori out of the corner of their eyes before charging at her.

The blonde went to one side and the freckled girl went to the other, reaching out and snagging Tori's apple as she passed. Tori wheeled on her foot and yelled out, "Hey, give it back! That's my apple!" She gave chase and had barely caught the freckled girl when she threw the apple to the blonde, who waved it mockingly at Tori before running off. Tori growled and ran after her through the trees behind the schoolhouse.

She could feel the burgeoning heat in her chest thrumming for release but recalled Erwin's cautioning words and pumped her legs faster as she fought to catch up, feeling some of the heat leeching out of her hands even as she fought for control. She saw the blonde look behind her and then their eyes locked as she faced forward again. She stopped suddenly as Tori came up to her and stuck her foot out, tripping Tori and giggling when she tripped and fell to her hands and knees.

"You want the apple back?" She waved the fruit in front of Tori's face and yanked her hand back when the brunette swiped at it. "Well, I was going to give it back, but now..." She turned and threw the apple toward the trees, smirking as it struck a tree and splattered against the trunk.

Turning back with a malicious gleam in her eyes, she proceeded to walk past Tori and kick a bit of dirt at her. She hadn't gone a couple steps past the brunette when Jade appeared around the corner of the building, eyes narrowing as she saw Tori slowly climbing to her feet as the other girl turned around and grabbed her cap, tossing it to the ground and kicking dirt on it.

Her jaw tightened and she ran at the blonde, tackling her to the ground as a sharp gust of wind rustled the leaves. "Don't be mean to Tori!" She punctuated her words with a sharp yank on the blonde's pigtail before climbing off her and walking to Tori who had just retrieved her cap and dusted it off, holding it in her hand when another gust of wind kicked up some dirt around the blonde. "You okay, Tor?"

Tori nodded and glared over Jade's shoulder at the blonde who was spitting out grime and wiping her eyes as she sat on the ground, buffeted by the slowing breeze. "I'm okay, Jade. Thank you for helping me." She twisted the cap in her hands and bit her lip indecisively, glancing at Jade through her lashes and averting her gaze when inquisitive green and gold orbs found her own. "I...I just..."

Jade cocked her head while Tori struggled to find the right words, watching the brunette's jaw work silently. Tori finally huffed out in irritation when the right words escaped her and leaned forward on her feet, chapped lips pressing against Jade's cheek for a quick kiss before she rocked back, cheeks flaming and eyes wide in the sudden silence behind the schoolhouse. "G-gracias!" She ran back around the building, long hair disappearing around the corner while Jade stared blankly, cheek burning where Tori's lips had met her skin. A dopey grin came over her face and Jade twirled on her heel as Sikowitz called for everyone to come back inside.

She trailed in behind a couple stragglers and saw the blonde at the front of the classroom whispering into Sikowitz's ear and their eyes met over the heads of the other kids. Jade tilted her chin up defiantly and stood by Tori near the door while the older man stood up and set his hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Alright kids, let's get you seated." The girl scowled up at him but he just gently pushed her toward the edge of the room while he called out names and placed the youngest at the front and the more learned at the back of the room.

Once he was finished, Sikowitz rubbed her jaw and locked eyes with Jade. "Before we go on, there is something I need to address. You all know I don't put up with bullying and picking fights, as I told you this morning." Several kids nodded while the younger ones squirmed uncomfortably on the hard bench. "Miss Tully came to me and said that Miss West knocked her over and pulled her hair for no reason, is this true?" Jade's jaw dropped soundlessly while Tori's eyes blazed angrily.

"She lies, Sikowitz! Jade was protecting me from her, she-"

Sikowitz met her eyes and she shut up abruptly, standing rigidly as he approached her. "Miss Vega, can you tell me what you saw?" She nodded jerkily and told him quietly what had happened, from the blonde taking her apple to Jade finding them. He stood up after she finished speaking and rubbed his jaw in frustration, walking back to the front of the room.

"Alright kids, this is what I'm going to do. Miss Tully," he looked sternly down at the little blonde and narrowed his eyes when she tilted her chin defiantly at him, "you will help me clean the schoolhouse for a week after class is over." He raised his hand when she complained and spoke over her. "My word is final. And you, Miss West," he said, turning his attention to Jade as she snickered quietly, "you will help me as well."

Jade's jaw dropped and she stood suddenly. "But, Mr. Sikowitz, I was-"

"I know you were only protecting Miss Vega, but you have to understand that it is not alright to hurt someone else, you could have come to me and told me instead." She met his eyes and stared at him or a few moments before nodding and sitting down again. Erwin clapped his hands together and raised his voice over the hushed conversations. "Alright kids, let's get started."

* * *

Since we're nearing fifty reviews, I'm putting this out now. Whoever is the fiftieth reviewer, I will write a short story of your choice [preferably for this pairing since it's who I'm most familiar with and like the most], and they will receive a cookie! Incentive enough? :)

As always, concerns, critiques, and questions can be directed to the snowman by the fire *puddle blurps* ...or not 0.o *coughs* Um, they can be directed to the sticks and pebbles by the fire, I'll be sure to talk to him tonight ^^;; Hehehehe, bye!


	7. Lessons

Alright guys, here's the next chapter! I know I said I was going to post again on Wednesday, but it recently came to my attention that I'm not going to be around then, so you're getting an early update. I also apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but there there was no other place to end. You'd either have ended up with this, or a 7K long chapter. Sorry!

Moony98-They are adorable, aren't they? I wanna cuddle them and make them mine!

Darksaber92-Not just yet. A couple more chapters until then, so you get a few more chapters of fairly happy, carefree goodness.

21BrokenPromises-Thank you, dude! I figured they would behave like that, considering how quickly they hit it off.

Azkadellio-I had just finished watching Frozen for the nth time, and was thinking of Olaf and Anna by the fire, when he says 'some people are worth melting for.' It was so cute! Thomas is an ass, and he's not gonna get any better throughout the story. Pru's end is quickly drawing near, so enjoy her while you can. Thanks, and enjoy!

Masterkungfu2013-This story is actually an AU of the mid 1800s or so. For all you anime geeks out there, think of it like Fullmetal Alchemist, which is set in a parellel universe of our world in the 1940s or so. This is much the same as that, their world simply developed in a different direction and weaving is normal, much like alchemy took the place of modern science in the FMA world.

ScottyBgood-Just wait ^w^ I've got a few surprises up my sleeve. My only hint; pay attention to things that occur when Jade's in the room with someone who does weave. My thoughts exactly. Thomas' arrogance is born of pride and a fear of, not only the unknonw, but of a people who are more powerful than he is. Andre's time will come :)

OddWolfLife-Thank you, dude! Enjoy!

JadeKnowsHerEnemy-Thanks!

TimelessReader-It was, and there's more to come. Enjoy!

Nothing else to add, so read on, and enjoy!

* * *

"Alright kids, this is what I'm going to do. Miss Tully," he looked sternly down at the little blonde and narrowed his eyes when she tilted her chin defiantly at him, "you will help me clean the schoolhouse for a week after class is over." He raised his hand when she complained and spoke over her. "My word is final. And you, Miss West," he said, turning his attention to Jade as she snickered quietly, "you will help me as well."

Jade's jaw dropped and she stood suddenly. "But, Mr. Sikowitz, I was-"

"I know you were only protecting Miss Vega, but you have to understand that it is not alright to hurt someone else, you could have come to me and told me instead." She met his eyes and stared at him or a few moments before nodding and sitting down again. Erwin clapped his hands together and raised his voice over the hushed conversations. "Alright kids, let's get started."

* * *

After school ended, Tori slowly approached the desk as Erwin spoke quietly to the two girls standing in front of him. The blonde sulked and stomped toward the broom standing in a corner and began to sweep halfheartedly while Jade nodded to whatever he was saying. Tori offered her a smile as she turned and Jade lifted her lips in passing, her hand ghosting across Tori's as she passed. Tori glanced over her shoulder as Jade started gathering up the primers and slates littering the desks and then turned back to Erwin. He was shoving some papers into his satchel, rooting over his desk for loose ones and spoke to her as he cleaned up. "It won't take long to clean up, and then we can go home, alright?"

"Robbie y Cat? They are at Tía's house, si?" Tori tilted her head as Erwin straightened up.

"Yes, we have to get them as well. I have a surprise for you three when we get home-" Tori's face lit up at the mention of a surprise and Erwin chuckled as she began to chatter excitedly in Spanish. "Whoa, slow down sweetheart, I can't understand you when you speak that quickly."

Tori stopped abruptly and dragged in a breath before smiling up at Erwin. "Can I see it now?" She stuck her lower lip out dramatically, big eyes staring at him beseechingly.

Erwin raised an eyebrow and smirked in amusement. "Hm, well it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I let you see it now, would it?"

"...Guess not." Tori stuck her lip out in a pout.

Erwin came around the corner of the desk and crouched before her, gently tweaking her nose with his index finger and thumb. "Now don't give me that, Tori." He smiled to take any sting out of his voice. "I promise you'll like it, but it's a surprise for all three of you, so you have to get it at the same time, right?" Tori brightened and nodded and he ruffled her hair teasingly, laughing when she swatted at him in mock anger. Turning back to his desk, he asked if she would help Jade gather up the other primers and handed Tori a box for the chalk.

She started picking up the bits of chalk as Jade piled the primers and slate on a table against the wall and the blonde swept the floor. She huffed out put upon sighs as she swept the dirt, averting her eyes quickly and sweeping more vigorously when Erwin threw a stern look her way. Jade sniggered quietly and set the last of the primers on the table, approaching Erwin as he came around the corner of the desk. "Mr. Sikowitz? I'm done, is there anything else to do?"

"No, that's all for today, Miss West, I'll see you tomorrow. Miss Tully, are you finished yet?" She nodded sullenly and he dismissed her with a wave of his hand, missing the glare she sent his way. He reached out for Tori's hand and they exited the building, stopping as he locked the door and then starting the walk through town to the Byrd's house.

They saw Jade walking ahead of them and Tori broke free of Erwin's hand, running up to her and putting her arm around Jade's shoulder. She took her cap off her head and perched it jauntily on Jade's head, skipping a couple steps ahead to turn and look at her as Jade blushed under the cap that nearly covered her eyes. Jade tipped the cap back a little and smiled shyly at Tori, walking forward until they were side by side and linked their arms together as they walked. Erwin watched Tori tweak one of Jade's pigtails and then jump away when the younger girl reached for her loose hair and smiled as a game of tag ensued, shaking his head when Jade grabbed the tail of Tori's shirt and stopped her in her tracks before sending them both tumbling into the dirt when she tried to hop on the gypsy girl's back.

Erwin walked up to them and lifted both girls onto their feet, watching as they dusted themselves off and Jade grabbed the fallen cap and set it on Tori's head, scuffing her shoe in the dirt when Tori offered her arm again. She took it shyly and all three walked down the street again, the girls slightly ahead of Erwin, talking animatedly with each other. His gaze swept from the small heads bobbing in front of him to the houses lining the street, watching curtains flutter as they passed and adults and children alike stared at the duo in front of the teacher. The kids whispered to each other and pointed at the girls while the adults stared in blank confusion and distrust at the young gypsy. He was glad to note that neither girl appeared aware of the looks that were aimed their way and scowled down any person that deigned to meet his eyes, silently daring them as several looked ready to approach him. The women averted their eyes more often than not but the men stared boldly back at him, their condemning looks prompting him to rub his marked palms against the fabric of his shirt unconsciously.

They reached Jade's house and she ran to her front door after cheerfully saying goodbye, hugging Erwin's leg and waving at Tori. Erwin took Tori's hand and they began walking toward the Byrd's when a cry made Tori turn around just as Jade ran up and threw her arms around her shoulders, laying a kiss on her cheek and giggling madly as she ran away again. Tori stood in stupefied silence and stared at the closed door, mouth slightly open as Erwin chuckled and took her hand and they walked down the street. Tori's jaw worked silently for several moments until she suddenly broke out in a burst of Spanish, free hand waving wildly in the air.

She was still gesticulating wildly when they reached the Byrd's front door, only falling quiet when Molly opened the door and Cat ran out, bowling into the gypsy and making them fall to the ground. Tori wheezed out a breath as Cat's slight weight rested on her diaphragm and the red head proceeded to spew out the highlights of her day. "Tori, it was so fun! Aunt Molly gave us cookies and let me help her make lunch and Robbie ran into the wall and the table and it was really, really funny!"

She giggled happily and stared down at Tori as she tried to get her breath back, squealing happily when Erwin stooped to pick her up and hold her at arms length so she faced him. "Catarina, what did I tell you last time about laying on Tori?"

She looked down at her feet and kicked them idly in midair, looking rather sheepish. "To not to, 'cause she can't breathe pro-prob'ly."

"Properly, Kitty. What do you say to your sister?"

Cat looked down at Tori and said contritely, "Sorry, Tori, didn' mean to hurt you."

"I'm okay, Cat." She turned to Molly and glanced up at her through her eyelashes. "Are there any more cookies, Tia?"

"I left enough for you and Erwin, dear. Cat, why don't you and Tori go grab a couple?" The red head squealed and squirmed out of Erwin's grasp, climbing down him and dragging Tori into the house while the adults talked on the front porch until they came back.

Erwin crouched to take a proffered cookie from Tori's hand and ruffled her hair as she looked up at him with bulging cheeks, one hand holding a half eaten treat while the other had a grip on Robbie's hand as the little boy fought to follow Cat on the porch. He broke away and scrambled after her, yelling, "Cat, come back! Chase you," and she let out a giggle when he ran after her.

They ran across the wood, feet thumping hard over the planks, and Robbie nearly caught Cat several times, missing her when she seemed to dance out of his reach. She took a hard left to dive behind Molly's skirt as she came back down from the end of the porch and Robbie seemed to not see her, running past until he saw the empty space ahead of him. "Cat, where'd you go?"

He turned on his heel and ran back to the other end but couldn't find her, the adults watching as he scratched his head in confusion, Cat giggling madly as she creeped out from behind Molly. "Robbie, I's right here!" He wheeled toward her and they saw him squint at her while she waved and a few seconds later a beaming smile broke over his face and he ran after her again.

Erwin arched a brow and Molly shrugged and he yelled for Robbie to come over. He crouched before the boy and held up three fingers. "Robbie, can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?"

"Three!" He nodded and then told him to stand by the railing at the other end of the porch. He asked him again how many fingers he saw, holding two up for the boy to see. "Um, f-four?" Erwin and Molly shared a concerned look and he shook his head, putting one down and asking again. Robbie squinted tightly and pulled on a lock of hair, blowing out a breath in frustration. "Two? Poppa, it's all blurry." He wiped at his eyes with a fist as though that would clear away the haze.

Erwin frowned and scratched his head, meeting Molly's eyes again. "Is there someone around here who sells glasses?"

"I've heard of a man who opened a shop over in the next town, but that's the closest I think." She reached down to grab Cat, who had been pulling on the hem of her dress. "You should take Robbie there when you get the chance, leave the kids with me for the day and get his eyes checked out." Erwin nodded and looked over her shoulder to see Tori coming through the kitchen door, crumbs on her chin as she stuffed the last bit of a cookie into her mouth.

She smiled brightly through the mouthful of cookie and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, chocolate smearing across her lips. "Sikowitz, can we take some home with us? Por favor?" She turned wide amber eyes on him and he looked to Molly for the decision, watching the play of emotions on her face as she saw Tori's expression, humor morphing into compassion at the innocent look on her face turning into wry acceptance.

"Of course, dear. Here, come inside with me and we'll pick out the best ones for you and get you cleaned up." Tori grinned and nodded, uncharacteristically grabbing Molly's hand as they walked indoors again, Cat jabbering happily on Molly's hip. Erwin picked up Robbie and followed her inside, using her rag to clean the crumbs from the other two kids' faces while Molly wrapped a half dozen cookies in a clean cloth and handed them to Tori.

"Be careful with them, alright? They're very easy to crush, so don't hold them too tightly." Tori nodded and shuffled in place for a moment before swiftly standing on tiptoe to kiss Molly's cheek. She leaned back quickly and ducked her head, stuttering out a thank you as she ran out the door and Erwin chuckled and thanked Molly too, watching her surprised eyes as they followed Tori out of sight. "Huh, I guess she does like me after all."

"She's very fond of you, it just took her a while to get enough courage to show you." He set Robbie down and told him to find Tori and watched him run out the door, narrowly missing the table as he ran by it. "I'll take him this weekend, would you mind watching the other two? They like you, and you know how to handle them." Molly nodded and he thanked her and left, calling to the three kids as Cat and Robbie were chasing and tackling each other while Tori tried to keep the cookies from getting crushed.

They all ran toward him and they began the trek up the hill, each child talking excitedly as they ran off the sugar high they were on. Erwin made a mental note to let them have sweets a little more often and just let them play and have fun, taking Tori's cap when she wanted to run after Cat. He called to them when they wandered too far away and they reached the house as they sun was beginning to set behind the trees.

The kids all ran inside and Erwin set the cap full of cookies on the kitchen table, smacking Cat's hand when she reached for the cloth. "No more tonight, you guys have had enough sugar." He smiled as she whined and took a seat at the head of the table, facing the three kids.

"I've got a surprise for you guys, do you want to see it?" They all clamored excitedly immediately, speaking over each other and ignoring his attempts to regain their attention. He sat back and twirled his fingers in the air for a moment, feeling the heat blossom in his fingertips and flow with a welcome ease as the small illusion took shape. He released the spell with a tiny flourish and watched the small iridescent horse gallop through the air between the kids, their eyes rounding to huge orbs as the image reflected in their eyes.

He leaned forward and got their attention, slowly drawing their eyes away from the little creature and the trail of lights it left in its wake. "Now that I have your attention, do you want to know what the surprise is?" They all nodded vigorously and he smiled. "How would you like to learn some magic?"

* * *

"So, where to begin?" Erwin stood in front of the kids at the table, tapping his chin thoughtfully. He told them of the heat they could all feel dormant in their chests, the untapped essence of their magic and the abilities that came with it. "So, do you want to try something?"

Cat leapt off her chair scrambled over to him, eyes bright with excitement. "Poppa, me first, me first!"

He chuckled and nodded, leading her behind the house as the other two trailed behind. "Alright Cat, here's what you do. You feel that warmth here?" He pointed at her chest and she nodded, a small hand over the area her core rested in. "Hold your hands out in front of you like this," holding his own out like he was pushing against something, "and close your eyes. Focus on that warmth and imagine it moving down your arms to your hands...can you feel it?" She nodded, eyes tightly shut and a furrow between her brows.

"Okay, now think of the wind blowing through the trees, and that you're the one doing that. Still good? Push the heat to your fingertips and out and picture you pushing the wind from your hands, and..." Cat scrunched her nose up and her eyes closed even tighter as she pushed the heat through her fingertips with all her might, releasing a little breeze from her spread hands that rattled the sunflower stalks in the garden.

She cracked open an eye to see the stems still swaying and squealed in delight, clapping her hands and jumping around Erwin. "Poppa, I did it! I'm magic! Can I do it again?" Without waiting for him, she scrunched up her eyes and held her hands out again, releasing another little gust, yelping as the wind chimes in front of her tinkled crazily.

She ran behind his pant leg and he chuckled and turned to Robbie and Tori. "Do you two want to try, now?" Robbie looked excited but hesitant and nodded slowly, walking over to Erwin. He had him do the same thing as Cat and after a few minutes of puffing and scowling a weak wind burst from his hands.

He looked disappointed and turned sad eyes up to Erwin. "Poppa, why can't I do it as good as Cat?"

"You just need some practice, Robbie, and maybe you'll be better at something else. Don't worry too much, alright? Tori, I know you've done some little spells already, but give me a breeze, won't you?" She smiled up at him and stood on the steps, hands still splayed but overlapping each other in front of her body. Her eyes narrowed in concentration and she felt the warmth rip down her arms and from her hands, the resulting gust concentrated enough from the position of her hands to rustle the branches of the apple tree some twenty feet away, several little apples dropping to the ground.

Cat ran up to her and hugged her tightly, cheering excitedly. "Tori, Tori, yay!"

Tori patted Cat awkwardly on her side since her arms were pinned and laughed at the redhead's exuberance, waiting to be released to wrap her in a hug. "Gracias Cat, it was fun!" She turned bright eyes on Erwin, an excited gleam in her eyes. "Show us more!" Erwin laughed and spent the next hour casting illusions for them to chase, stopping once the sun set.

Sitting on the steps and admiring the few stars that were visible then, he said, "I would like to teach you all how to weave, to control and improve your abilities. How does that sound?" A soft murmur from Cat as she snuggled close to his chest and broken snore from Robbie were the only answers he received and he smiled softly at them. "Tori? What about-"

Looking behind him, he stopped speaking as he looked at the young girl, passed out on the hammock he had strung up on the porch. Her head was pillowed on one arm while the other dangled off the edge and an utterly peaceful look had stolen over her features, hair fluttering at each soft breath she took. A small smile was visible on her lips and Erwin's face mirrored hers. "Alright then," he murmured, "we'll continue tomorrow." He stood quietly with Cat in his arms and put her to bed, returning for Robbie and then Tori, laying her in her bed and pushing back some loose hair. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, pulling the covers over her a little further. "Goodnight, mi querida. Sweet dreams."

* * *

So, there's that. We're one chapter closer to Pru's death, and some life altering events that will take place, so hang on, ladies and gents! To the owner of the black Prius, I left a present on your door *twirls keys and whistles* To everyone else, remember to leave all questions, concerns, and critiques with the irate person beside said Prius, and don't forget to duck! Till next time, ciao!


	8. New Friends and Mischief

Here's the next chapter! I think you guys will enjoy this one, it's definitely more light hearted once you get past the first thousand words or so. We're gonna get into some heavy things in the next chapter, so I thought you'd all like this beforehand.

Before we get started, how do you guys feel about a ten year time skip, or there abouts? Are you guys gonna have a fit if I just jump into the next part of this story, or do you want to see some cut scenes, so to speak, of the kids as they grow up? I'd prefer to just get to the next important part, but I like to hear from you guys, so I'd like to know what your opinions are.

Azkadellio- I would definitely recommend watching Frozen, it's a fantastic flick, and the sisters are great characters! Enjoy this chapter.

Guest- Thanks! Enjoy!

ScottBgood- Damn man, you are spot on, I have to say. Either you're a genius at guessing, or you're spying over my shoulder as I'm writing *looks over shoulder* Things are going to change in a big way in a couple chapters, so brace yourself.

T0ran- Yeah, things definitely aren't going to be easy for the weavers in general, and Tori in particular. Not sure how I'm going to go about the whole homosexual thing, I'm really not sure how everyone's going to feel about that topic. I don't know if I want to make it acceptable or taboo or just not mentioned, it's way up in the air right now.

TimelessReader- I know! I don'te ven know what they're gonna do, but it's gonna get interesting, that's for sure! Also, since you were the fiftieth review I received, I'll write you a one shot if you want. Just PM me and let me know, we'll work something out.

21BrokenPromises- Aw, you make me feel so good when you review, I love you, dude! Virtual hugs and kisses abound! So much fun writing the various moments and things that happen throughout their developing years. You're awesome, dude!

VictoriaJusticefan1216- Thanks, dude! Enjoy! :{)

WeAreLife- Welcome to the crazy train, dude! Those with powers are broadly classified as weavers, and each weaver can specialize in a certain area, like natural weaves, or illusions, or charms. I'm trying to make them similar as a group, but singular as individuals, if that makes sense. I've got plans for Jade, but I'm not giving anything away yet ;) I'm glad you like this, it's fun to write. Enjoy!

Enjoy!

* * *

Sitting on the steps and admiring the few stars that were visible then, he said, "I would like to teach you all how to weave, to control and improve your abilities. How does that sound?" A soft murmur from Cat as she snuggled close to his chest and broken snore from Robbie were the only answers he received and he smiled softly at them. "Tori? What about-"

Looking behind him, he stopped speaking as he looked at the young girl, passed out on the hammock he had strung up on the porch. Her head was pillowed on one arm while the other dangled off the edge and an utterly peaceful look had stolen over her features, hair fluttering at each soft breath she took. A small smile was visible on her lips and Erwin's face mirrored hers. "Alright then," he murmured, "we'll continue tomorrow." He stood quietly with Cat in his arms and put her to bed, returning for Robbie and then Tori, laying her in her bed and pushing back some loose hair. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, pulling the covers over her a little further. "Goodnight, mi querida. Sweet dreams."

* * *

"So, if we have seven and take six away, we have..." Erwin waited for the boy to count backwards with his fingers, until one was held aloft.

"One!"

"Very good," he said, smiling down at the blonde headed boy. He gave a gap toothed smile and turned back to his primer and Erwin walked down the row again, looking at the work the kids were doing. He happened to look out the window to see Abby Harris walking by with Andre in tow. "Alright kids, keep practicing in your primers, I'll be right back."

He walked out the door and called to Abby, jogging up to her as she stopped and turned toward him. "Mister Erwin, how are you? Is there something wrong with your kids' clothes?"

"Oh, no, they are fine, perfect fits. I actually had a question to ask you." He started walking slowly toward some trees beside the schoolhouse and Abby followed him, Andre running ahead to hang off a low lying branch.

"What did you want to ask me, Mister Erwin?"

"Well, I was wondering if Andre was getting any schooling at home."

Abby regarded him for a moment before speaking, watching her son pull himself into the lower branches of a tree. "Well, I teach him what I can at the shop and when I have time at home, but...between orders at the shop and...other things, there's just not enough time to properly teach him his letters and numbers."

Abby looked somber as she spoke, lips pursed unhappily and Erwin nodded, his mind whirling with possibilities. "You know, he'd be welcome here, if you wanted to-"

"Mister Erwin, no offense, but I don't think this place will give my Andre the...respect he deserves." She called to Andre and took his hand as he climbed out of the tree and walked over to her.

They started to walk away and Erwin shoved his hands into his pockets as he thought. "Abby, wait, please!" She stopped and turned back, a weary expression on her face as he approached her. "Please, just let him stay for the rest of the week. Tori is here, she can keep him company and help him catch up. Please, Abby."

Abby's eyes flickered between his for several long moments as she wavered in her decision. She finally opened her mouth and said, "How about this, Mister Erwin. After school lets out, you come and get my boy and teach him until I close up shop, and in return I'll make your kids' clothes, free of charge."

Erwin blinked and his jaw slackened a little. "Abby, you don't need to-"

"I won't even consider letting you teach my boy unless you allow me to give you something in return, Mister Erwin," she said, overriding his excuses and staring him down.

"Then allow Tori to accompany me and make us dinner before we leave, and we'll call it even. Deal?"

She stared at his outstretched hand and then reached out to shake it briskly, finally smiling and displaying even, white teeth. "We've got a deal, Mister Erwin. Come over to the shop after school today and I'll give Andre over to you." She reached down to pick up the boy and told him to say goodbye to Erwin, waiting for him to wave before saying her own farewell. "See you in a few hours," she called over her shoulder.

"See you soon, Abby." Erwin returned to the schoolhouse and continued with the lesson he had made for the students, releasing them for lunch after another hour of schoolwork. He listened as they ran outside and turned his attention to some papers on his desk, only looking up when a shadow crossed over the wood.

Jade stood before him, trembling with some suppressed emotion and the muscles in her jaw working furiously. "Mister Sikowitz, they're doin' it again! You gotta help!" She dragged him by the hand with a surprising amount of strength and they lurched outside. She took off once her feet crossed the threshold of the building and Erwin ran after her, rounding the side of the building to see a few little girls taunting Tori as she cradled her foot and leaned against a tree.

"What's going on here; didn't I make it clear that I wouldn't tolerate any bullying?" Erwin towered over the girls and they cowered before him, looking abashed.

One, a rangy seven year old with cornflower blue eyes, stepped forward and said, "She won't talk to us, she's acting stupid! All she did was try an' climb the tree and-"

Erwin cut her off with a rather vicious motion, cleaving his hand through the air and silencing her. "I don't care if she was singing a song off key, that gives you girls no excuse to pick on her. All of you will be joining me after school today." They all whined and he spoke over them. "_Am I clear_?" They nodded grudgingly and Erwin asked next what had happened. He made eye contact with Tori but she averted her eyes quickly, rubbing her ankle slowly and wiping angrily at the tear tracks on her cheeks.

Jade stepped forward from her spot a few steps away and said, "They wouldn' leave Tori alone, and when she didn' say anything, they grabbed her hair and pulled her outta the tree. I think she's hurt, Mister Sikowitz, can I help her?" She barely waited for him to say anything before running between the girls and kneeling beside the gypsy, easing her to her feet slowly and wrapping an arm around her waist. They awkwardly maneuvered between the girls, Jade sticking her tongue out at the one who had pulled Tori's hair as she walked past.

Erwin watched the two slowly make their way toward the schoolhouse front, a couple older girls rounding the corner and one carefully picking Tori up to take all the weight off her foot. Jade trailed anxiously behind her and Erwin waited for them to walk beyond his sight before returning his attention to the girls in front of him. "So, is what Miss West said true?" His eyes traveled from head to head, each girl averting their eyes after a few moments and giving him the answer he needed. "Each of you will stay after school and help me clean up, as well as writing on the chalkboard twenty times each." No one made a sound and he nodded in satisfaction before walking away.

Going through the door, he saw the older girl had set Tori on the desk at the front of the room and was in the process of rolling up Tori's pant leg while Jade watched in troubled silence. "Thank you, Meg. I can take it from here." She nodded and walked back outside where her friend was waiting and Erwin dragged a chair up beside Tori. "Are you alright, little one?" Tori nodded silently, hair curtaining and hiding her face from him as she sniffled quietly. Jade's brow furrowed as she patted Tori's calf that dangled over the desk and she flashed a small smile up at the brunette.

Erwin set to examining her, slowly twisting her ankle one way, then another until she hissed in pain and her hands, previously folded in her lap, wrapped around the edge of the desk and clenched tight. A stiff breeze blew out of nowhere and scattered the papers laying on the desks, twisting Jade's and Tori's hair for a moment before dying. Erwin frowned at the gypsy and Tori took a deep breath, loosening her grip on the wood before giving a bashful smile to the older man.

Leaning back against the seat, Erwin addressed both girls while he spoke. "I don't think it's too bad, it looks like you just twisted it a bit when you fell. Jade, would you mind helping Tori to her seat while I get everyone else inside? You will also be sitting beside her until I say otherwise, alright?" Quirking a smile when Jade replied cheerily, he helped Tori off the desk and waited for Jade to take her around the waist again before moving to the door and calling everyone inside.

As the kids filtered in and sat down, he redirected the boy who had been sitting beside Tori to Jade's old seat and began the afternoon lesson afterward. The next couple hours passed quietly and Erwin let most of the kids go with a smile and a wave as they ran outside. The group of girls who had to stay after sullenly stood in front of his desk while he directed them to their various tasks and once each girl finished he made them write on the chalkboard 'I will not pick on my classmates' twenty times before releasing them.

After the last girl had walked from the building, he pushed his chair back and collected his things, shoving them into his satchel before crouching in front of Tori and asking if she could walk. The brunette gingerly put some weight on her ankle and grimaced slightly, although she limped toward the door resolutely.

Before she reached it, Erwin reached down and lifted her into his arms, gently chastising her. "Don't hurt yourself anymore for your pride, little one. I don't mind carrying you, alright?" She nodded slowly, lowering her head to his shoulder and sighing quietly as they walked, arms securely around his neck.

"Why don't you heal it, Sikowitz? I don't want it to hurt anymore."

"It's only a twisted ankle, little one. For such a small injury, its better to let it run its natural course and heal on its own. It will only hurt for a couple days."

"But, why-"

Erwin stopped and leaned against the wall of a building, waiting for the little girl to meet his eyes. "If I always healed you whenever you got even the smallest hurt, you wouldn't develop any tolerance for pain, right?" Tori nodded and he swept her hair behind her ear. "So, if you had no pain tolerance and you were hurt really badly for some reason, you wouldn't be able to function. What if you were hurt but you had to protect your siblings, or myself, or Jade?"

Tori's grip found a tighter hold on the collar of his shirt and she didn't answer right away, her eyes switching between his as he watched her. "I...wouldn't be able to help them," she said. "Okay, I'll let it heal on its own." Erwin nodded and readjusted his grip on her as they walked down the street again.

"So, are you ready to see Andre again?"

Her forehead creased and she shook her head emphatically. "He's a mean boy, I don't like him!"

Erwin laughed, the rumbling sound vibrating against Tori's hands around his neck. "I think you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you give him another chance? He's probably just shy and needs someone to try and get to know him. You want to be his friend, right?" Tori nodded and her face brightened, a sunny smile adorning her features.

They reached the shop couple minutes later and Erwin set Tori on the counter when they walked in, waiting for Abby to come out from the back room. She swung back the curtain and walked toward them, tape measure around her neck and Andre in reluctant tow. The boy's scowl was enough to prompt a raised eyebrow from Erwin and Abby sighed as she approached them. "He's as stubborn as a pig when he wants to be; I'm sorry Mister Erwin that you had to come out here for nothing but he refuses to cooperate."

She looked disappointed and aggravated, dark kinky hair that was normally pulled back into a clip escaping to curl around her face from where she had run her fingers through. Andre sulked behind her, brows low over his eyes and body rigid as he shifted from foot to foot, glancing at the door occasionally.

Tori reached out for Erwin and squirmed once he picked her up, gesturing at the floor. She hobbled over to Andre as he retreated farther behind his mother's skirt and grabbed his wrist, weight on her good leg as he tried to pull away from her. "Estás siendo estúpido! Deja de comportarte como un bebé, su madre sólo quiere que aprendas!" She ranted for a minute, eyes flashing angrily when Andre weakly pulled against her grip. The adults stared down at her in surprise and not a little bit of pride from Erwin as the small girl berated Andre.

By the time she stopped, out of breath and hanging onto Andre more for stability than to keep him in place, he looked rather chagrined and walked over to his mother quietly, standing in front of her without meeting her eyes. "I'm sorry mama, I was mean. Can you ask Mister Erwin if he'd still teach me," he asked quietly.

Abby reached down to pick him up and said, "Why don't you ask him yourself, Andre?"

Andre met Erwin's eyes for a moment, hesitant brown shying away before returning to his steady gaze. "I'm sorry, Mister Erwin. Will you teach me stuff?" Erwin smiled kindly at the boy and nodded, watching an uncertain smile grow on his face.

"Alright then, where do you want us, Abby?" She told him they could stay right behind the counter and set Andre down on the stool beside her, excusing herself before disappearing behind the curtain again.

Sitting in the chair near Andre, Erwin reached for Tori and asked her how her ankle felt. "Así así, it's a little sore, Sikowitz." He called to Abby and asked if she had a long strip of cloth he could use to bind her ankle and Tori was sighing contentedly after he wrapped it, leaning against him while he figured out how far along Andre was with his learning.

They sat in the quiet of the shop for the next couple hours until Abby came back up front and told them she was cleaning up. Andre hopped off the stool and helped her as the other two looked on, Tori's head against Erwin's pant leg. Once she locked the door, all four walked toward the outskirts of town to the farm the Harris's were living at.

She led them inside a small cabin some ways behind a large farmhouse and told them to just have a seat at the table. Tori and Erwin looked around the small kitchen at the many pots on the shelves and the large one that was bubbling on the stove top. Tori hopped off her seat and limped around the table into the sitting room, where she had seen Andre disappear to. He sat beside an open chest, plucking quietly at the strings of an old guitar. "Whatcha doin'?"

He startled and a discordant sound reached her ears as his fingers slipped on the strings. "It's none of your-" He stopped speaking abruptly and took a deep breath, letting his fingers strum across the guitar strings before speaking again. "Just playing with my pop's guitar...wanna try?" She smiled cheerily and limped over to sit beside him and he set the instrument in front of her.

"Here, put your fingers on this one and this one and then take your thumb and pull it back here." She placed her hands where he told her but when she strummed the guitar it rang harshly instead of the pleasant chord Andre had sounded. "Yeah, that happened to me the first couple times, too. Pop said I hafta press down harder on the strings, see?" He replaced Tori's fingers with his and plucked the strings, a melodious chord filling their corner.

"Wanna try again?" Tori nodded enthusiastically and did it once more, pressing more solidly against the strings and strumming the guitar. She cheered when the same sound came from the instrument and Andre cracked a smile, sticking his hand out toward her suddenly. "Sorry I was being a butt when I saw you, I shoulda been nicer. Friends?"

Her smile widened and she tackled him to the floor in a hug. "Si, si, amigo! Muéstrame más música?" Her wide, excited eyes met his dark ones and he nodded, showing her more chords and playing a simple melody on the guitar.

Neither child heard footsteps approaching and only looked up when they suddenly heard, "A gypsy! Abigail, get your husband! Hurry, before she runs off with the china! Get out of here, you vagrant! Find another house to plague!"

Tori skittered back from the swung broom, lodging herself between the wall and the chest as Andre stood in front of her. The broom wielder, a sturdy woman with short, kinky, steel gray hair and a plethora of wrinkles on her face, swung the weapon once more at Tori, blocked by Andre when he stepped in front of it again. "Gramma, don't, she's a friend!"

"She's a gypsy, she can't be your friend, boy! Get out of my way before she steals the shoes off your feet!"

The woman raised the broom again but stopped when Abby ran into the room, face flushed and wide eyed. "Ma, what are you-put that down!"

"Abigail, thank the heavens you're here! Tell your boy to get away from that gypsy so I can get her out of here!"

Abby saw Andre standing in front of Tori by the wall and grabbed the broom from the woman. "Ma, she's a friend. She's not going to steal anything."

"How do you know that, Abigail? She's still a gypsy, they inherently have sticky fingers." she wiggled her own digits as though that would prove her right and Abby sighed, hand to her forehead.

"Ma, just trust me for once, please. She's not going to take anything from us, Tori's a perfectly nice little girl." Abby walked over and gave her son a smile as she picked Tori up, holding her on one hip as she walked back to the woman. "Ma, meet Tori. Tori, this is my ma, Maggie Harris."

The woman stared hard at Tori, eyes narrowed before she suddenly smiled. "Well, girl, you can call me Miz Maggie. You're a pretty little thing, aren't you? You should watch out for those gypsies, can't trust them, you know. Never know when they're going to show up and just like that," she snapped her fingers under Tori's nose, "you're missing the clothes off your back." She rumpled Tori's hair and walked through the door to the kitchen, leaving a bewildered Tori clinging to Abby.

The woman set Tori back on the ground and knelt in front of her. "Don't mind ma, she's not exactly right in the head anymore," she said apologetically.

"Gramma's crazier than pop's old hound dog, more like," Andre piped up, cringing under his mother's stern gaze. "She just takes some getting used to, s'all."

"Come on, dear, let's get you fed so you can go home with Mister Erwin. Sound good?" Tori nodded and took Abby's hand, Andre trailing behind as they entered the kitchen.

"Abigail, there's a gypsy in the house!"

"I know, ma!"

"What's she doing in here!? Has she come to steal my pots?"  
"No, ma, no one's stealing your pots!"

"She wouldn't be here if she weren't going to steal my pots, girl! What was that! Who are you?!"

"That's Mister Erwin, ma, you've already met him!"  
"I don't know who you are! I've never met you before in my life! I've gotta get out of here!"

"Ma...ma!...Oh, damn it, ma, come back!"

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be alright watching the girls this weekend?"

Molly shooed him out the door with her free hand, holding Cat on her hip with the other and smiling genially. "You worry too much, Erwin. We'll be fine, won't we, Kitty?"

"We'll be good, papa. Me and Aunt Molly are gonna bake lots and lots of stuff, right?"

"We're going to make some cookies for you to take home, yes." Molly chuckled as Cat clapped happily. "Go on, Erwin. Jason and I will be fine, we did raise a couple kids ourselves, you know."

"Yes, but your kids were boys, and my girls are a little more...unique, yes?" He raised an eyebrow in challenge, and Molly dipped her head in acknowledgment. "You know not to let Cat have anything sweet after four, right? And she knows how to get jars off counters now, so you have to hide them, and-"

"Erwin." Molly stared at him and Cat giggled merrily. "Go. We'll be fine." He nodded and grasped Robbie closer and walked off their porch, rucksack slung over his shoulder. Molly watched until he disappeared around the corner of their house and walked back inside with Cat on her hip. "So, Kitty, what do you want to do first?"

"Cookies, Aunt Molly, cookies!" Molly laughed and set Cat on the floor, pulling ingredients from the shelves while the redhead ran around the table.

"Why don't you go find your sister and see if she wants to help us."

"M'kay, Aunt Molly. Tori, Tori, come make cookies with us!" Tori walked into the kitchen quietly and watched Cat run around the table wildly, a small smile working its way onto her face.

"Hop up here, Tori. You can start mixing everything together." She set the brunette on a chair and handed her a spoon. "Cat, do you want to help us or are you planning on wearing a track into my floor?" Cat giggled and attached herself to Molly's skirt, waiting to be lifted onto another seat before immediately sticking her fist into a bowlful of batter. She shrieked and waved her clean hand around happily as she licked the other hand clean, humming cheerily while Molly reprimanded her halfheartedly.

Tori giggled as she stirred the other bowl of batter, drawing Cat's attention. "Tori, try some!" She stuck her hand in Tori's face and smeared a glob over her cheek and nose, giggling merrily all the while.

Tori's eyes crossed as she stared at the glob of batter on her nose and she wiped it off and stuck her finger in her mouth. "Si, it's very good, Cat!" Molly chuckled as she kneaded some bread dough and didn't see the devilish smirk on Tori's face as she nonchalantly stuck her hand in her bowl and then laid it on Cat's cheek, leaving a deformed hand print behind. Cat's mouth dropped in surprise and she narrowed her eyes as she grabbed a handful of flour, tossing it at Tori and dusting the brunette in the powder.

She yelped and dove off the chair as another handful of flour was flung at her, gasping when it hit Molly's shoulder. Silence reigned in the kitchen when the woman turned to them, identical wide eyes staring up at her. She looked between Tori who pointed silently at Cat and the bashful redhead, who tried to hide her white hand behind her dress and smiled cheekily up at her. "We match now, Aunt Molly! See?" Molly arched her brow and reached around the redhead, the jar of flour in her hand as she pulled back.

Cat smiled nervously when she pulled out a handful of flour and hopped off the chair, eyes peeking over the edge of the table warily. "Aunt Molly? What're you-" She shrieked as the woman threw the flour at her, dusting the top of her head and eyes as well as the tabletop.

Tori laughed when Molly chased the redhead around the table, another handful coating the back of her dress. "Oh, you think it's funny, do you?" Molly reached into the jar again and eyed Tori. "Come here, little girl. I've got a surprise for you..." Tori shook her head wildly, still giggling as she backed into the table and covered her face when Molly let loose her handful of flour.

Setting the jar on the table, Molly scooped up Cat and tickled her, shrieking giggles pouring from her mouth as she pushed weakly on the woman's arm. "What do you say, Kitty? Come on..."

"S-so, s_or_ry! I-I's sorry, Aunt Molly! R-r-_really_!" The woman stopped tickling her and Cat's head fell heavily onto her shoulder as she breathed heavily. Molly smiled happily and looked down at Tori, who was sporting a cheery smile.

"Alright girls, you two really need a bath now." She brushed a thick coat of flour off her nose and led them into the bathroom, setting Cat beside the tub and telling the to undress while she drew up water. Dumping several buckets into the tub, she unceremoniously set each girl in it, smirking at their shrieks about the temperature.

When she turned away to grab some towels from the closet, Tori gave Cat a grin and set her hands in the water, letting the heat in her chest flow through her hands and out. They both sighed as the temperature warmed to their liking and Tori grabbed a sponge beside the tub to scrub Cat's back and shoulders. When Molly came back in, she set her hand in the water and chuckled wryly. "Tori..." She shook her head in exasperation.

"It was really cold, Tía." She giggled and turned around so Molly could wash her hair, wetting the bar of soap and scrubbing Cat some more while her hair was rinsed out. Cat hopped out of the tub once Molly had rinsed her hair out and shook her head wildly, scattering water droplets everywhere. Tori squealed and ducked behind her towel, sneaking a peek past the edge once she thought it was safe.

She burst out laughing at the look on Molly's face, the deadpan expression and arched brow communicating an intense annoyance with the many water drops trickling down her face. "You girls are going to be the death of me, I swear." Cat and Tori just giggled madly, wrapping soggy arms around her and planting wet kisses on her cheek.

* * *

estás siendo estúpido! Deja de comportarte como un bebé, su madre sólo quiere que aprendas!-You're being stupid! Stop behaving like a little baby, your mama just wants you to learn!

Muéstrame más música?-Show me more music?

So, whataya think? Worth a Cat squeeze? Come on, you know you wanna give me a squeeze! Love is always appreciated via reviews! Critiques, concerns, and questions may be addressed to moi, and don't forget to hug a hobo! LOL sorry guys, I'm a little wired, lack of sleep does funky things to me...anywho, see ya next week!


	9. Life's End

Evening, all! So, here's the next chapter, we're gonna hit some heavy shit, just so you know. Change is coming, and it starts here. Before anything else, did anyone else watch the Rizzoli and Isles season finale last night? I'm so pissed, but so happy at the same time! Jane's breaking things off with Casey (Yippee!), Frankie kissed Maura (Nooooo! He's not the right Rizzoli!), and Jane might be pregnant. I just sat there and stared at my TV for who knows how long, I actually think my jaw hit the floor for a second, I was so shocked. I want Rizzles! *sigh* Oh well, I'll put it on my Christmas list, hopefully I get one of them for my present *giggles giddily* Those two women are gorgeous, I really wouldn't complain if they ever kissed me. Anyway, enough fangirling, onto other things...

Azkadellio-I'm trying to keep things like that canon in this world, it's taking a surprising amount of juggling to include everything I want without making the story feel choppy, but I think I'm managing.

ScottyBgood-Tori will end up speaking as she does in the show, just showing bits of her progress as I go. Glad you're enjoying the story so far. I'm glad you have such faith in my, dude, it makes me feel better about where I'm taking this. Enjoy!

Arcus Iris-Hahaha, alright, I've got some ideas. Let's see what happens.

Masterkungfu2013,T0ran, WeAreLife, VictoriaJusticefan1216, Jawrulez-Alright, so I'll do some cutscenes. Already got ideas, the plot bunnies are bountiful! Anything you wanna see in particular?

Masterkungfu2013-Glad you liked her, she was so much fun to write! Will almost certainly make more appearances!

T0ran-What are your guesses, out of curiosity?

WeAreLife-It will be, indeed. Just gotta wait several more chapters for the Jori to really come into play though. It'd be awkward if they were in love when they were that little, so I'm sticking to best friend/puppy love stuff.

VictoriaJusticefan1216-I definitely agree with you, dude ;) Dudette does sound weird, I use dude with anyone that I'm not familiar with, it's generally a fairly androgynous word.

21BrokenPromises-You lazy person! LOL Glad you enjoyed the fluff, this chapter lacks anything remotely related to fluff, so be warned. Yeah, the flash forward's not gonna take place until after Pru's death, as well as a couple other things that I think are important. Love you too, dude! Any love is fine with me, as long as you keep showing it like you have been! Read on!

Sorry for the ridiculously long A/N, now onto the story. Enjoy!

* * *

When she turned away to grab some towels from the closet, Tori gave Cat a grin and set her hands in the water, letting the heat in her chest flow through her hands and out. They both sighed as the temperature warmed to their liking and Tori grabbed a sponge beside the tub to scrub Cat's back and shoulders. When Molly came back in, she set her hand in the water and chuckled wryly. "Tori..." She shook her head in exasperation.

"It was really cold, Tía." She giggled and turned around so Molly could wash her hair, wetting the bar of soap and scrubbing Cat some more while her hair was rinsed out. Cat hopped out of the tub once Molly had rinsed her hair out and shook her head wildly, scattering water droplets everywhere. Tori squealed and ducked behind her towel, sneaking a peek past the edge once she thought it was safe.

She burst out laughing at the look on Molly's face, the deadpan expression and arched brow communicating an intense annoyance with the many water drops trickling down her face. "You girls are going to be the death of me, I swear." Cat and Tori just giggled madly, wrapping soggy arms around her and planting wet kisses on her cheek.

* * *

"Tia, can I go and see Jade today?"

"Did you make up your bed?" Tori nodded, hair bouncing on her shoulder. "Did you eat all of your breakfast?"

"...No..."

"Go finish your breakfast and then you can go, alright?" Molly turned back to the dishes she was washing, listening as Cat hummed to herself and poked her eggs.

"Don't want no more, I'm full." Tori yelped when Jason suddenly scooped her up, his scruff rubbing against her cheek and large hands holding her close to his chest.

"What do you mean you're full? Growing girls need to eat lots of food if they want to grow tall. Don't you want to be tall, Tori?"

"Tall like you, Tio?" Tori's eyes were wide as she thought about being as tall as Jason. "I could reach the cookie jar on the shelf, and you wouldn't have to pick me up if I wanted to kiss you?"

"You could certainly reach the cookies if you were as tall as me. But, I like picking you up so you can kiss me, squirt. And, I can do this since you're little!" He threw her into the air a little ways and she yelped, giggling when he did it again.

"Tío, it tickles!" She squirmed out of his arms and sat back at the table, scooping her remaining eggs into her mouth and taking her plate over to Molly. "Can I go now, Tia?"

"Wait for your Tío to get ready and he'll walk you over to Jade's, alright?" Jason pulled on his jacket and boots by the door, waiting for Tori as she pulled her shoes on and ran back into her room to grab her cap.

Setting it firmly on her head, she dashed out the door as soon as it opened and jumped down the three steps of the Byrd's porch. "Come on, Tío! Hurry!" Jason chuckled and kissed Molly, skipping the last step to catch up to Tori as she ran down the road.

Molly leaned off the porch and yelled to them before they disappeared. "Take his hand, Tori! Be careful, and have fun!" Jason reached down and took her hand and Tori threw a wave over her shoulder and they rounded the corner of a house, disappearing from Molly's sight.

She walked back into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her and walking to Cat as she pushed the last of her eggs around on her plate. "Alright, Cat, let's get you cleaned up so we can go to the store for a treat, how's that sound?"

* * *

Tori ran up to the door and knocked on it, turning to wave goodbye to Jason when he called out to her. "Hasta luego, Tío!" He disappeared down the street and Tori head the door open behind her. "Hi, is Ja-" Her heart launched into her throat and rendered her mute when she saw Thomas' large frame blocking the doorway.

He glared down at her and she took a fearful step back immediately. "What the hell are you doing here, gypsy?"

She swallowed and removed her cap, twirling it nervously in her hands. "Good morning, Mister West. I was wondering if Jade was-"

"Jadelyn will not be seeing you, gypsy. In fact, no one in my family will be seeing you, ever."

"But-"

"If you ever so much as step one dirty toe inside my home again, girl, I will take you and treat you like the vermin you are. Do you understand?" He took a threatening step toward her and Tori retreated off the stoop quickly, stumbling on the last step and landing on her butt in the dirt.

She stuttered uselessly and a ring of silver appeared around her eyes as heat coursed through her chest, thrumming angrily under her skin. She took deep breaths to calm herself and nodded minutely, shoving her cap back on her head to cover her eyes. Thomas grinned malevolently and stepped back inside, the door shutting with a final bang.

Steadying her racing heart, Tori willed the heat in her hands to return to her chest and waited until she felt cool enough to move. Dusting off her pants, she gave a longing glance to the second floor window where she knew Jade's room was and had just turned to walk back onto the street when she heard whispering behind her. "Miss Tori...hey, Miss Tori."

The servant who usually opened the door was leaning out the window, beckoning her closer. She cautiously stepped toward him, watching the house carefully. "Walk around behind the house, Miss Tori, I'll let you in through the servants' door."

She nodded and glanced around quickly before edging around the house to the back door where he was already waiting. "Why...why would you help me? Won't Mister West yell at you?"

The servant crouched in front of her, grey eyes kind as they stared into hers. "Miss Jade likes you, Miss Tori. She likes you a lot, actually. She's never really had many friends, she always seemed to prefer her own company instead of playing with other kids like her. You bring out a...a happiness I've not seen in her." Pressing a large hand to her head, the servant removed Tori's cap and ruffled her hair playfully. "Miss Jade's with Miss Pru right now, in her room. Do you remember where that is?"

Tori nodded and threw her arms around his neck, a sloppy kiss pressed to his cheek. "Mucho gracias!"

Just as she turned to run off, he stopped her again. "Remember, Miss Tori, to stay quiet. The other people who work here won't say anything to Mister West, but stay out of sight of everyone else, alright?" She nodded and fidgeted when he didn't release her.

"There's one more thing. If you come around back here everyday, or whenever you get the chance, I or one of the other servants will let you in and tell you if Miss Jade is here, okay? Just knock on the door four times and wait for it to open, okay?" Tori nodded and squirmed impatiently and he released her with a small push, sending her through the door into the kitchen. She scrambled around the few people working, smiles thrown to them and given back as she ran out and looked around the corner before dashing up the stairs. She skidded to a stop behind a dresser when she heard Thomas' voice ahead of her and watched him come out of his study in front of Beckett, both men walking past her and down the stairs.

She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and darted down the hallway to Pru's room, knocking quickly and barely waiting for Pru to answer before she pushed the door open. "Pru, hi!" She hopped up onto the bed and pressed a hug into her torso, curling as close as she could.

"Tori, what a surprise! How are you, sweetheart?" Pru kissed her head and hugged her close. "Are you here to see Jade?"

Tori nodded and snuggled closer to Pru. She listened to the quiet sound of her heartbeat, counting them in her head. The door opened and Jade walked in, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Mama, I had a dream of you, and me, and Tori-" Tori giggled from her spot and Jade stopped moving, finally opening her eyes all the way to see the brunette on the bed, curled up against Pru. "Tori! You're here!" She crawled up on the bed and hugged Tori, kissing her cheek and entwining their arms and legs until Pru couldn't see where one girl started and the other ended. She laid her arms around them and leaned back into her pillow, listening to the girls as they spoke quietly and giggled.

She had nearly drifted back into sleep when a shuddering cough rocked her body, the wet sound making her body curling her body into itself with its intensity. Wiping her mouth with a shaking hand, she saw the girls watching her with worry in their eyes and smiled wanly. "I'm sorry girls, did I scare you?" They nodded and she opened her arms, wrapping them close to her. "It's alright, girls. Everything will be fine."

Tori grabbed hold of her night gown, holding tightly to her and leaning her head against her chest again while Jade laid across her torso and stared up at her. "Mama, what's wrong with you? Why can't the doctor fix you?" Her green eyes were watery and her voice quiet, nearly whispering her words into the silent room.

"Oh, baby girl, the doctor is trying so hard to make me better, he just...sometimes, there's nothing you can do." She pushed back Jade's hair from her face and her eyes softened when both girls curled closer to her. "I wish he could fix me, believe me, baby girl. There's nothing more that I want than to see you two girls grow into beautiful young women. But, you know I'll always love you, right?"

"Yeah...love you, mama." Jade climbed up so she was face to face with Pru and held her cheeks between her small hands. "But, you have to love Tori, too, mama. Me and her are gonna be together forever, right, Tor?"

"Yeah, I'm never leaving you, Jade." Tori grabbed hold of Jade's hand and smiled at her.

"I do love her, just like she's my other daughter. I hope you two stay together forever." Pru brushed a kiss over Tori's forehead.

"Tambien te amo, mami..." Tori froze, wide amber eyes staring up at Pru, whose own shocked expression quickly morphed into one of love and compassion.

"It's alright, sweetheart, I don't mind if you call me that." She squeezed Tori close with all the strength in her arms and a few tears fell into Tori's hairline. "I love you too, sweetheart." Pulling Jade up to her, Pru held them close and let her tears fall onto their heads. "I love you both, so much."

They laid together in the bed until the sun slanted across their feet and then the girls disentangled themselves and disappeared into Jade's room. Pru shifted so she was leaning against the headboard and grabbed her book from the bedside table. She had just begun to read when another wracking cough shook her body, and when she removed her hand from her mouth she saw blood speckling her skin.

A maid entered her room quietly, shutting the door behind herself and moving to her bedside. "Miss Pru, are you alright? I heard you cough..." A worried line appeared between her brows and she took a cloth from the washbasin, dipping it into the tepid water to wipe the blood from Pru's lips.

The lady of the house offered a wan smile up to the woman attending her and gestured for the cloth, cleaning her hand when it was offered. "Will you please walk to Mr. Lane's house and ask him if he could come here today, Krista?"

"Yes, ma'am. Do you need anything before I leave?"

"No, I'll be alright. Thank you though." Just as the maid reached the door, Pru called to her once more. "Oh, Krista, don't tell Thomas that Mr. Lane is coming, okay? Have him come through the back door and try to avoid my husband, if you would."

"Of course, ma'am. I'll be back soon." She left the room and Pru resettled into her pillows, picking up in her book where she'd left off.

About a half hour later, Pru looked up when someone knocked on her door. The maid let in a tall, thin man who walked over to Pru and offered her his hand. "Mrs. West, it's great to see you again, although I do wish it were under different circumstances." His eyes were compassionate and kind as he sat in the chair beside Pru's bed, setting his briefcase beside him. "What can I do for you today?"

"First, you can call me Pru, Mrs. West makes me feel old." They shared a quiet chuckle and Pru made herself more comfortable. "I would like to write my own will if I could. I know that Thomas will try to take control of everything, but I don't mean to make it easy for him."

Lane smirked and set his briefcase on his lap, opening it to take out a sheaf of papers. "I kind of figured you wanted something like that. You have more rights than you think, Pru. I can make sure that your wishes are carried out. Now, where do I start?"

Pru looked thoughtful for a few moments, her eyes vacant as she thought about his question. "There are a few things I wish for my kids to have. I don't want Thomas to get hold of them, he would sell them as quickly as he could. Some jewelry, a few other things..." They spent the better part of two hours working out the details and figuring out various provisos she wanted worked into it.

Pru laid back against her pillows with a satisfied smile on her face, her eyes watching Lane as he made a few notations on a paper. She grabbed his hand as he bent to collect some papers beside her and waited until he met her eyes. "Make sure my children get what they deserve, Lane. Please."

"Of course, Pru. You don't have to worry, I'll do everything in my power to make sure your wishes are carried out."

He went to stand and her grip on his wrist tightened. "I have another question before you leave." She told him of the deal her husband and Beckett had made, how Jade and Oliver were promised to each other. "Can we break this deal? Will my daughter be forced to marry him, or can we do something to prevent it?"

Lane began pacing in front of the bed slowly, one arm cupping his opposite elbow while he cradled his chin in his hand. "Did they put it in writing? Make some sort of document detailing the arrangement?"

"No, all they did was speak about marrying the kids together once they turned eighteen, and they shook hands afterward. I've never seen a paper detailing anything, and he's never spoken of one."

"Then, she's not legally obligated to marry this...Oliver?...boy once he's come of age. Unless she loves him, of course."

A small smile worked its way onto Pru's face and she sighed happily. "Then, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to write her a letter." He handed her a sheaf of paper and waited while she wrote a long note, reading it after she was done.

"Please give this to her once she turns eighteen, maybe she'll have fallen in love with him by then. But if she hasn't, I don't want her forced into marriage just so her father can reap the benefits."

Lane nodded and shook her hand, keeping her weak grasp within his own afterward. "Rest easy, Pru. Please don't worry, I'll do everything you've asked of me."

Pru simply nodded and smiled weakly, shifting so she seemed to be swallowed in pillows. "It's all I can do, Lane. Thank you."

* * *

"Alright kids, go out and have lunch. I'll call you back in an hour." Jade and Tori ran outside with happy smiles on their faces, enjoying the warming spring air as they ventured behind the schoolhouse, avoiding the other kids as they chased each other. Tori led Jade toward a tree with low lying branches, scrambling up the trunk to sit on the bottom branch. She reached down and grabbed their lunches, then held a hand out for Jade to take after she slipped her shoes off and reached up.

Tori scooted back so Jade was sitting against the trunk and she let her legs dangle on either side of the wide branch, idly kicking her feet in the air. Jade broke the quiet between them when she started humming softly, unwrapping her lunch and offering a cracker to Tori. "What's that song, Jade?"

"Mama always sings it to me when I'm sad or sick. She says it makes everything better. There's words, too. Wanna hear?" Tori nodded and munched quietly on her cracker, listening attentively as Jade sang.

_Come, stop your crying, it'll be alright. _

_Just take my hand, hold it tight. _

_I will protect you from all around you. _

_I will be here, don't you cry. _

_For one so small, you seem so strong. _

_My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. _

_This bond between us can't be broken. _

_I will be here, don't you cry. _

_You'll be in my heart, you'll be in my heart. _

_From this day on, now and forever more. _

_You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. _

_You'll be here in my heart, always._

Tori's mouth hung limp after Jade finished, her heart beating an uneven tattoo against her chest. The heat within her thrummed happily under her skin and her palms tingled, nearly sparking as she reached across the small distance to grab Jade's hand. "That's really pretty, Jade. I like your voice." Her cheeks deepened with color and she averted her eyes.

Jade beamed happily and snuck a piece of fruit from Tori's lunch, munching contently. "Thanks, Tor. My mama sounds better though. She's got a really pretty voice, and she knows more of the words, too."

Tori just smiled and scooted closer until their knees brushed. "She can't sound better than you, Jade. I wish I could listen to you sing all the time." Her expression became forlorn and her hair curtained to hide her face. "I wish I was Oliver."

The apple paused on its way to Jade's mouth as she stared with wide eyes at the gypsy. "Why? He's a yucky boy."

"He gets to see you whenever he wants, and your papí likes him. If I were Oliver, I could see you all the time, and I could listen to you sing! I wouldn't have to hide from Senor West, and I could..." She thought for a moment about what else she would do if she weren't a gypsy girl. "I could kiss you, too!" Her hands slapped over her mouth and her wide eyes betrayed her panic as they rapidly bounced between Jade's green orbs.

Jade gawped silently for a few seconds, then her eyes twinkled merrily and she glanced at Tori from beneath her lashes, leaning in to press her lips to the back of Tori's hand. "There." She smiled and stole another piece of fruit, chewing and staring at Tori as the gypsy ran back what had just happened. She stared at the back of her hand as if Jade's lips had left an indelible imprint on it, still feeling the heat from her breath as it wafted over her skin.

Finally regaining use of her basic motor skills, Tori snagged Jade's hand and kissed the back of it, not releasing it after she was done. "There, we're even!"

Jade giggled and nodded. "Yep, and we're always gonna be together, right, Tori?"

"I'll always be here for you, Jade." Tori released Jade's hand and held up her pinky, waiting for Jade to close the distance and seal their pact.

As they drew back, they heard someone calling Jade's name, heavy footsteps fast approaching. "Miss Jade, where are you? Miss Jade?" A manservant passed under their tree, his hair disheveled and shirt only partially tucked in as he called for her, the quickening pace of his tread alarming the girls.

"Mister Cob, we're up here!" Jade called down and he reappeared, eyes red rimmed and distressed.

"Miss Jade, you must...you must come with me." He reached up for her and held her close, walking away quickly.

Tori descended from the tree and ran after him, pulling on his loose shirt tail. "Mister, what's going on? We've got to get back inside for school."

He looked down at her and his eyes betrayed his sorrow, tears spilling over the rims to run in tracks down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, I have to get her home. Excuse me." He began walking faster, nearly jogging, and Tori tried to keep up but was soon left behind.

She watched them move further down the road, keeping eye contact with Jade long after her eyes ceased to be visible. She jumped when a large hand fell on her shoulder and looked up to see Sikowitz staring down at her. "Sikowitz, what's going on? Why'd he take Jade away?" He didn't answer, only sighed and stooped to pick her up and set her on his hip, walking slowly back toward the schoolhouse.

"Tori...Jade had to leave...something happened at her house and...she couldn't stay here." His eyes watered and Tori's lip trembled as she latched onto the emotion. She clenched her fist in his shirt and huddled close, taking small comfort from his smell and heat as they walked into the building.

He set her down at the back of the room and crouched down, smoothing her shirt and setting her cap back on her head. "It'll be alright, mi querida. We'll go see her after school, okay? She's going to want to see you." Tori nodded and sat in her seat, feeling Jade's loss acutely the rest of the afternoon.

As soon as school let out, she was leading him out the door and walking as fast as she could toward Jade's house. The sinking feeling in her stomach grew with each step and her hand tightened around Sikowitz's fingers as they got closer, the sight of the house drawing her breath away. All over the windows and doors black fabric was hanging, and she released his hand to run around back.

Knocking on the servants door frantically, she shoved past the teary eyed maid and ran through the kitchen, ignoring the voices behind her telling her to stop. She ran around a corner and was suddenly grabbed, her voice stilled as a hand covered her mouth. She fought, kicking and nipping at the palm of the interloper as she was carried into a closet and held close to their chest until she stopped moving.

Hazarding a glance up, she saw the manservant who usually answered the door was the one who caught her, old tear tracks marring his face. "Miss Tori, you shouldn't be here. This is not a good time, you should go home."

"No! Wh-what's going on? Why'd that man take Jade? I..." Her lip trembled once more and she bit it to stop the tears from breaking free, staring up at him in desperation.

He stroked her hair and his voice quivered as he spoke. "The mistress...she's...Miss Pru died."

The words were a breath in the small space, echoing hollowly in the space under Tori's ribs where her heart resided. She sniffled quietly and clenched her fists. "Y-you're l-lying. No me mientas!" A sob ripped through her chest and she found herself pressed against cotton, her tears quickly soaking the material as the manservant held her and rocked her in his arms.

She cried and held tightly to his shirt, trying to keep at bay her tumbling emotions and the swirling heat under her skin. As her cries grew in intensity, her control slipped and the heat fell into her hands, released on an intangible thread that wound outdoors and found release in a gale of wind that shook the shutters of every house in town. Sprinkling rain quickly turned into a downpour that drummed loudly on the roof and tore leaves from the trees.

Tori let the power run through her until she was exhausted, laying limply in the manservant's arms as her sobs turned to hiccups, then quiet whimpers. He rubbed her back and his silent tears fell, dripping onto her cap as he listened to her breaths deepen and even out.

Leaning against the wall, he stared down at her and brushed back damp locks from her face, his thumb brushing away tears. "I'm sorry, little one, I'm so sorry." The door quietly opened and a somber faced maid peeked in, whispering something to someone outside the door. Sikowitz came through and knelt before them, his eyes saddened as he eased her from the manservant's arms, cradling her body close to his. He stood silently and they all walked back through the kitchen, backtracking to the servants' door.

The manservant stopped Sikowitz before he could leave, draping a leather coat around his shoulders and covering Tori with a blanket to guard again the softly falling rain and occasional gust of wind that wound through the empty streets. "Be well, and be safe. She's hurting as much as Miss Jade is."

"I know." Sikowitz simply ducked his head in recognition and stepped out into the weather, guarding Tori against the rain and letting the droplets disguise his own grief.

* * *

Jade closed her ears to the nonsensical sounds surrounding her and broke away from her father's iron grasp, running down the stairs and disappearing around a corner before anyone could catch her. She grabbed the doorknob and twisted, squeezing through the small space and closing the door behind her to crouch in the corner and whimper. She fought back the tears as long as she could, but eventually the need to cry overwhelmed her will and tears tracked down her face. She refused to cry out though, lest someone find her and carry her back to her father's cold arms.

She reached blindly out for something to ground herself with and felt cool metal slide across her palm, the temperature difference soothing her too warm body. Peering through wet lashes she spied a pair of scissors lying on the ground near her, forgotten and dusty. She grabbed them and ran her thumb along the edge of one blade softly, letting the cool slide of metal comfort her. She fell into a trance as she opened and shut the blades, the soft _snick_ easing her heaving chest.

Crawling over to a broom in the corner, she closed the sharp instrument across the bristles and watched with a detached satisfaction as several inches of stiff straw fell to the ground. She wiped at her eyes and cut the bristles again, imagining each bit of fallen detritus as a tear, and she was keeping one more from falling with each _snick_ of the scissors. Time passed, and the broom soon sat, completely bare, against the wall. Jade looked at the scissors with new respect when she realized the aching numbness had receded a little and stuck them in her sock and let herself out of the closet, walking back upstairs to stand under her father's disapproving eyes.

"Jadelyn, where did you go? I don't want you leaving my sight again, understand?"

Jade didn't cower under his stern gaze, just stared quietly ahead and ignored the murmurs surrounding her. "Okay, daddy."

* * *

Tambien te amo, mami-Love you too, mama.

no me mientas!-Don't lie to me!

By the way, I don't own You'll be in My Heart, Phil Collins does. Just a fantastic song that really fits the tone I'm going for in this story. If you're interested, look up his version, not the one they sing in Tarzan. The lyrics reflect a lot of the way this story will run, little FYI...

As always, reveiws are appreciated! They're like soul grub, and fill me with so many feeeeelz... Don't forget to leave suggestions, critiques, and the like below, and think of Maura asking Jane to unzip her at the beginning of the show and tell me that doesn't turn you on. Seriously. I need a cold shower now...

Till next week, bye!


	10. On Funerals and Fathers

So, this is obviously the next chapter. Sorry it's a little late, I've been busy with work this week and forgot that there's no college 'cause I'm on Spring Break, so i wasn't going to have internet, but an unexpected set of circumstances led me to having internet, and...yeah. Anyway...

Azkadellio-Why, thank you! Shit's gonna hit the fan soon, and unfortunately Jade and Tori are gonna get caught in the crossfire. I think the general consensus is that no one likes Thomas, and that's how I intended it to be.

LukeJames-Welcome! I know, I liked her too, I had a seriously hard time killing her, but for the story to go where I want it, she had to go. Enjoy!

ScottyBgood-I don't know if you're psychic, or just a superb guesser, but you've hit a lot of points that I'm gonna make soon. I'm actually gonna correct the whole 18 thing, I really wasn't thinking when I said for them to wait that long. I knew that marriages and whatnot were allowed at sixteen, I'm not sure why I conveniantly forgot it, but thanks for pointing it out to me!Have a cookie! *hands cookie* Jade's special ^w^ that's all I'm saying, and if you paid attention to the last chapter and the AN I left at the bottom, there was a clue to her story.

WeAreLife-I'm not going to! Rest easy, dude, I'm just as against Bade as you seem to be. I don't really mind them as a couple, but there won't be any of that in MY story :)

I Almost Do-Welcome! I'm glad you left a review now, I love hearing from new people! I'm glad you're enjoying this so much, and don't be afraid to let me know what you think! Enjoy!

21BrokenPromises-Holy crap, dude, I've never had someone leave as long of reviews as you do, you are awesome! I was trying to show the passage of time and how much Tori's grown to love and trust these people who took her without any complaints, I hope I got that across. Hehe, I'm glad I got a reaction from you about Thomas, he is an asshole, and I wanted to get some emotion from you all. Hahaha, I've just got to remember to include the note later on! I have a bad tendency to forget, but I've wrote in BIG BLOCK LETTERS so I hopefully don't! I figured her love of scissors had to come from some event that had powerful emotions associated with it since whenever she uses them in the show she's pissed or sad or frustrated. Love you too, dude! Enjoy this!

Enough writing, onto the main event!

* * *

She wiped at her eyes and cut the bristles again, imagining each bit of fallen detritus as a tear, and she was keeping one more from falling with each _snick_ of the scissors. Time passed, and the broom soon sat, completely bare, against the wall. Jade looked at the scissors with new respect when she realized the aching numbness had receded a little and stuck them in her sock and let herself out of the closet, walking back upstairs to stand under her father's disapproving eyes.

"Jadelyn, where did you go? I don't want you leaving my sight again, understand?"

Jade didn't cower under his stern gaze, just stared quietly ahead and ignored the murmurs surrounding her. "Okay, daddy."

* * *

They walked silently down the road, following the well tread path toward the church. Sikowitz held Cat's hand on one side and Tori's on the other while Robbie walked ahead of them. Small sniffles accompanied their quiet steps, and he didn't need to look down to know that Tori was wiping away her tears and biting her lip to keep her lip still.

"We're nearly there, kids. We'll stay off to the side until it's done, okay?" Softly murmuring their assent, they walked behind the well kept church to the cemetery. They passed grave stones and flowerbeds, the quiet rumble of many voices gradually growing louder until they stood at the fringe of a large group of people.

Robbie and Cat fidgeted quietly and watched the proceedings with wide eyes while Tori alternately eyed the casket sitting beside the freshly dug grave and the West's standing beside it. Thomas stood stoically at the fore, his gaze even and appraising as he watched the gathered people offer their condolences. Jade shuffled from foot to foot, eyes resolutely avoiding contact with anyone else. She glanced between the grave, her father's blank expression, and her brother's teary face, leaning down to wipe at his eyes and grasp his hand when he latched onto her. Jade whispered into his ear, stifling his tears and holding him close while her free hand clenched in the folds of her dark dress.

Tori tuned back in as the priest finished his speech, moving aside to toss some water on the casket and bless it before several large men lowered it into the ground. One of them grabbed a shovel and threw some dirt on the wooden box, beginning the long process of filling in the hole.

Unable to stand there any longer, Tori broke away from Sikowitz and tore off toward the trees, ignoring Sikowitz's hiss for her to come back. She let the tears come then, not bothering to wipe them away as she pressed on into the woods, branches reaching to snag at her new black pants and dark shirt. She tripped over a fallen branch and picked herself up, ignoring the scrapes on her hands and the hole in her knee.

She eventually sat heavily on a stone beside a quickly running creek, legs trembling from running and chest heaving for air. The tears subsided a few minutes later and she looked around, finding no familiar landmarks to point out where she was, not even a trail marking her own passing. Crisp blue skies visible through the trees and the sun shone down on the small clearing she sat in, making the water shimmer and sparkle brightly.

Tori crouched on the shallow bank to wash her hands and drink from the stream, cleansing her face of the tears and washing the many scratches on her skin. She sat back on the rock and rubbed at the dirt on her pants, listening to the soft wind as it shook the leaves. "I miss you, mami..."

The sound of feet coming her way alerted her and she stared at the foliage to her left, watching warily as a man around Sikowitz's age meandered into the clearing she occupied. "Ah, hello, little sister. What brings you out here on this fine day?"

His gentle smile disarmed her and she studied his lean features intently as he walked closer. His brown eyes and matching hair seemed similar to her own, but they held a copper tint that set his hair on fire in the bright sunlight. He ran a calloused hand, laden with rings and bangles, through short hair and knelt to drink from the creek. "Is something wrong?"

"Who are you?"

"My apologies, I'm Carlos Gonzalez. And your name, little sister?"

"Tori Vega, Senor Gonzalez. What are you doing here?"

He washed his hands in the stream as he spoke, scrubbing dirt from his skin. "I'm just passing through, heading back south to my family. Something's happened that's made you sad. I can see it in your eyes, little sister." Wiping his hands on the bottom of his shirt, the young man slowly approached Tori.

He pulled a necklace from under the coarse spun wool of his shirt and let it rest against his chest. The pendent was a simple silver disk, a dragon's head imprinted on it and a small golden gem inlaid where its eye would be. The crystal seemed to catch and absorb the light, glowing from within and entrancing Tori as it gleamed. "I can help you to deal with the sadness, little sister. If you trust me."

Tori looked up at him and tilted her head inquisitively, instinctively trusting this stranger who seemed to know what she was feeling. "I...believe you, senor. But how can you help me?"

He held up his hand with the many rings and baubles and let her study them for a time. Removing one from his index finger, he held it up to the light and Tori saw that the gold band in the center of the silver ring seemed to catch and hold light in much the same way the dragon's eye did. "This stone is special, little sister. It can draw all the pain from your body, and leave the happy memories you had of that person. I don't need it anymore but it seems that you do." He set the ring on her palm and folded her fingers around it. "Put it on your finger."

Tori slid the ring onto her thumb and felt the heat beneath her skin tentatively reaching for the stone, wrapping around it with easy familiarity. "It...feels friendly."

He nodded sagely and sat on the stone beside her. "It's supposed to. The stone is called citrine; it helps when you're feeling sad or lonely." Tori twisted the ring around her thumb and felt the heat humming happily within herself. She smiled despite her sadness and the man chuckled. "See? It's already working."

He stood and dusted off his pants, holding out a hand for Tori to take. "Before I forget, this stone also focuses your power and can store some of it." He smiled at her shocked expression and plucked a blossom from a tree. "We're more similar than you think, little sister."

He gently blew on the blossom and it bloomed in his palm. He released it into the air and a small gust of wind carried it to Tori where it hung in front of her wide eyes. "Be at ease, little sister. No harm will come to you here."

He walked up to her and plucked the blossom from the air to tuck the stem behind her ear and waved his hand over her eyes, watching them droop almost immediately as her body swayed unsteadily. Catching her as she fell, Carlos cradled her body to him and started walking along the bank of the creek.

* * *

Sikowitz and the kids hurried from the funeral as the men began to fill in the deep hole. He took both kids in his arms and walked down the road with long, ground eating strides, hoping against everything he knew that Tori had simply run back home. His knees almost gave way when he saw Tori sleeping in the hammock on the side porch and he set the other two kids down to kneel beside her, sweeping the hair back from her face. "Tori, wake up, little one."

She shifted and murmured sleepily, hazy amber eyes peering up at him through thick lashes. "Sikowitz...how did I?..." She sat up abruptly, nearly upsetting the hammock in the process, and swept her hand through her hair, watching a blossom fall into her lap.

She slowly brushed a finger over a petal and her eyes glazed over in memory, long enough that Sikowitz reached over to shake her gently. "Tori? What happened? Are you alright?"

Tori blinked at him and traced a small finger over the creases in his forehead. "I scared you. I'm sorry, Sikowitz. I didn't mean to make you scared." Her lip quivered and she looked ready to start crying until Sikowitz pulled her into his arms, peppering her cheeks and the crown of her head with kisses.

"It's alright, you're safe, that's all that matters, little one." He framed her face with his palms, letting the scars fall lightly over her soft skin. "Please don't do that to me again, okay? I couldn't bear it if any of you were hurt."

Cat and Robbie attached themselves to his frame and he twisted so he was leaning against the wall of the house, all three kids sprawled over his legs and torso. "I just want my kids to be safe and happy."

"I'm always happy, papa. I can help you be happy all the time, too." Cat looked up at him with serious brown eyes, determination making them glint in the afternoon sunlight.

Robbie smiled and nodded, pushing the frames of his glasses up his nose. "Me too, papa! I'll keep you all happy and protect you!"

He flexed his skinny arms and growled cutely and Sikowitz laughed, ruffling his hair. "You do that, my boy. You'll keep your sisters safe, right?" Robbie nodded determinedly and held tightly to Cat, who just giggled and hugged him close.

Tori sighed and burrowed into Sikowitz's shoulder, feeling his arm wrap around her and squeeze. "I...I miss her. She said she didn't want to leave us, so why did she?"

A couple tears streaked down her face and Tori wiped them away while she looked up to Sikowitz for answers. He gazed out over the trees as he thought, saying, "Sometimes, even when people don't want to leave, they don't really have a choice. You know Pru was sick, right? Even though she loved her kids and you, she still couldn't stay here, and she's not hurting anymore, little one."

"She hurted?"

"Her sickness made it...difficult for her to live in her body, do you understand? It hurt her some days, like her body was fighting itself. She's not feeling any pain anymore, and she can still hear you and guide you." Tori sniffled and curled in close to him to listen to his steady heartbeat, the reassuring sound soon drawing her into sleep.

* * *

"Cat, would you go see if there's any mail for us?"

Cat ran outside and hopped on her tiptoes to peek into their mailbox and ran back inside. "Papa, there's a letter out there!"

"Why didn't you bring it in, silly girl?"

"Oops, I'll bring it in, papa!" Cat ran back out and reached her arm into the box to grab a thick envelope and waved it over her head as she brought it inside. "Here, papa!"

Sikowitz grabbed Cat and set her on his lap while he opened the envelope, nearly choking on his coffee as he read the first lines. Cat looked up in alarm as he sputtered and patted his shoulder helpfully while the other two kids stared in concern as his face became more red. "Papa, are you alright?"

Sikowitz nodded and coughed for a few more seconds before calming himself and taking another look at the letter he had opened. He read silently for several minutes while his kids ate their breakfast and watched him from the corners of their eyes.

Sikowitz pushed back from the table and set Cat on the floor so he could walk toward his bedroom. "Tori, finish your breakfast, we need to get going. Robbie, Cat, finish eating, you're going to spend the day with Uncle Jason and Aunt Molly, how's that sound?"

Robbie and Cat cheered and inhaled their breakfast as Tori asked, "Going? But there's no school today."

Tori tilted her head to the side and watched Sikowitz inquisitively as he bustled around the kitchen, picking up dishes and grabbing a jacket from the chair beside the stove. "We've got somewhere to go today, little one. It just came up, and we can't refuse to go, I'm afraid." Tori's eyebrow scrunched up but she finished her breakfast and they all got dressed before leaving the house.

Cat and Robbie ran inside happily when Jason and Molly opened the door and Sikowitz spoke quietly with them while Tori was dragged inside by Cat. "Tori, come on, play with us!" The redhead enticed Tori to chase her, shrieking and giggling, around the kitchen table until they collapsed in a pile.

Tori huffed as Cat sat on her back and pulled on her hair, jabbing her hips with her heels. "Giddyup, Tor! You're a horse, come on, run!" Tori shook her head and tried to dislodge Cat, but the redhead just leaned over her and wrapped her arms around her bucking torso until Tori gasped and laid flat on the wood. "Oops, I think I broke Tori."

Molly stood in the doorway and shook her head at Tori's flushed face, strands of hair sticking to her cheeks and her limbs splayed across the floor. "Kitty, you might want to get off your sister so she can breathe."

Cat rolled off Tori and laid on her back beside the brunette and smiled apologetically, her missing tooth and pigtails completing her innocent image. "Sorry Tori! Are you fixed now? Can you be my horse again?" Tori shook her head vehemently and pushed off the floor to run for the door and the safety of Jason's arms, hiding behind his legs as Cat ran after her, all smiles and bright eyes again. "Come on, Tor, please!"

"Tio, save me!" Tori grabbed Jason's pant leg and almost climbed up him as the redhead bore down on her.

Jason stooped to grab Cat, swinging her up into the air before taking her in his arms and scrapping his scruff across her cheek playfully. "Not so fast, red. Your sister needs to go for a while with your papa. What do you say we go see what Aunt Molly and your brother are up to?"

Cat wrapped her arms around his neck and nodded. "Okay, Uncle Jason. Bye, Tor! Don't forget us, papa! You promised we could practice today, remember?" Her eyes widened and she slapped a hand over her mouth, looking terrified.

Sikowitz covered up her blunder as he reached in to tweak her pigtail. "We'll practice when we get back, alright, Kitty? Remember what I told you?"

"Sorry, papa. I didn't mean to."

Her lower lip quivered and she looked ready to cry until he kissed her forehead and patted her head. "It's okay, Kitty. No harm done." Jason nodded and said goodbye to them as he walked inside with Cat and shut the door.

Tori looked up at Sikowitz, taking his hand to lead him off the porch. "Where are we going?"

"We have to go to Jade's house for a while, little one."

Tori stopped walking, nearly falling over as Sikowitz kept moving until he looked back. "But...n-no. I don't want..." Her eyes welled up with tears and she bit her lower lip to keep the tears at bay. It had been a couple weeks since Pru's death but she still felt it keenly, even with the help of the crystal on her thumb. "Don't wanna go there. I...it's not...please..." She looked down and away to swipe at her eyes with her fist and let her hair curtain between them. "It hurts."

"I'm sorry, little one, but we have no choice." Sikowitz bent one knee to take Tori into his arms and cradled her close as they walked down the street, listening to her quiet sniffs and feeling his collar slowly grow damp.

Someone called his name as they approached the West's house, windows still draped with black, and he turned to see a tall, lean man with a briefcase walking up to them. "Mr. Sikowitz? My name is Lane, I am reading Pru's will today and wrote the letter to you. I'm sorry that I had to contact you, but it has to be done." He looked over at Tori, her face still sunk into his shoulder, and his eyes softened. "I'm very sorry. I think this is best for everyone, though."

He led the way to the front door and let Sikowitz inside first, removing his hat as he entered. "This way; I'll be reading it in the drawing room." They walked down a hallway and through a large set of doors to find several other occupants in the cushy seats scattered throughout the room.

Thomas' bulk filled a chair, his dark eyes sweeping over the new arrivals to settle on the back of Tori's head. He stood and pointed a finger at Sikowitz, advancing threateningly on the younger man. "What is that gypsy doing here? I will not have her in my home, have I not made this clear! Get out of my house, you flea infested!-"

"Mr. West, I will not condone this behavior! Sit down and compose yourself!" Lane barked at Thomas and the man was so surprised that he obeyed immediately, taking a seat on the edge of a table. His face grew red and he opened his mouth to retort but Lane cut him off before he could begin.

"Not one word, Mr. West. I understand that you're still grieving over your wife, but this girl has as much right to be here as you do right now." Thomas' eyes narrowed but he remained silent, staring holes into Tori's forehead as she looked around the room.

Books lined two walls and a third was bright with sunlight that streamed through large windows. A fireplace sat in the middle of the last and several chairs were placed around it with a low table in front. Sikowitz gave Thomas a wide berth as he walked toward that part of the room, setting Tori on the loveseat and sitting beside her. She glanced over portraits of people that seemed to glare at her and turned her attention to Lane as he strode in front of the empty fireplace.

"Alright then. Everyone necessary is present, correct? Victoria Vega, Erwin Sikowitz, Joseph West, Jadelyn West, and Thomas West. Good, then I'll begin." Tori's eyes roamed the room when she heard Jade's name and she found her sitting off to one side with her younger brother. Their eyes locked and she offered a tiny smile that wavered only slightly. Jade's lips lifted in a ghost of a smile as her arms tightened around her brother, both kids dwarfed by the large armchair they sat in.

Thomas walked between them and stood behind the chair, his hands kneading the fabric as he watched everyone with dark eyes. "Go on then, man. Get on with it." Lane ignored Thomas' sneering aside, taking a pair of bifocals from his breast pocket and opening a folder.

He cleared his voice and began reading the will, pacing in front of them as he spoke. "To Victoria Vega, I wish her to have several items of mine on my passing. One jade bracelet with silver etchings, one silver ring inlaid jade stone, two pair of earrings-"

"That creature will not have anything of my wife's, I forbid it!" Thomas' fist thumped against the back of the chair heavily and startled Jade. She jumped and slid off the furniture with Joseph in her grip still, backing away from her father as he raged. "That little piece of filth is not to have anything of hers, it belongs to myself to do with as I please!"

"Mr. West, if you do not compose yourself, I will have you removed and ask one of your servants to bear witness to the reading of her will."

"You cannot do this, I won't allow it! My wife has no right to do this; as her husband, I take control of her possessions." Thomas looked smug and crossed his arms victoriously, standing arrogantly behind the chair and staring down his nose.

Lane snorted quietly and barely refrained from rolling his eyes as he took off his bifocals. "Mr. West, simply because she married you does not mean she immediately lost all of her rights. She still retained the right to much of her property; anything that was not written over to you in your marriage agreement remained hers, and anything that was given freely to her by yourself or anyone else after you were married remained in her possession. She could do whatever she wanted to with those things, and she has." He waved the will in the air and turned his back on Thomas, replacing his glasses to continue reading while the patriarch stood in sullen silence.

* * *

Tori skipped ahead of Sikowitz, singing to herself and picking up small rocks as she went. "Sikowitz, is this good?"

He glanced at the handful of stones in her palm and nodded. "Alright, here; I'll show you first, then you try." He crouched before her and she laid the stones in his palm. Sikowitz picked one up and held it between his fingers for Tori to see. "Start with one, alright?"

His eyes flashed silver for a moment before the stone lifted into the air and he laid his hand flat so it would make slow rotations above it. "Once you can make the stone do circles without it wobbling or falling off your hand, add another." He tossed another stone from his other palm and caught it in the palm that the stone was circling above, all without disturbing the rotation of it, and smiled down at Tori.

"You're showing off, Sikowtiz!"

"Maybe I am, little one." Sikowitz laughed and added the second stone to the rotation. "Watch this."

Tori looked on with wide eyes as the stones changed their pattern and began doing figure eight's, narrowly missing each other in the middle. "Wow! I wanna try!" She took a stone from his palm and set in her smaller one, setting her jaw as she focused on it.

A thin ring of silver appeared around her iris as the stone shakily floated off her palm and began to do wobbly, uneven circles over her hand and she scowled when it began to drift away from her. "Get back here!" She stomped her foot and the stone seemed to hover in place for a second before shooting back toward her. Tori squealed and ducked as the stone zinged over her head, embedding itself in the dirt behind her.

Sikowitz laughed and let the stones fall back into his hand as he reached down and hauled Tori to her feet. "A little too much power, little one. You have to use just enough to make them make them pattern, but not so much that they do that." He gave her his handful of stones and she curled her fingers around them. "Keep ahold of those stones and practice with them whenever you can, okay?"

"Yeah, but I wanna be able to do it like you, Sikowitz!"

Tori pouted and Sikowitz chuckled, stooping to pick her up and set her on his hip. "You'll be just as good as I am if you practice, little one. Everything worthwhile takes time to perfect, you can't rush things." Tori nodded and he set her down again. "Alright, let's go get your brother and sister, you can show them your new trick."

"Yay!" Tori ran ahead of him toward town and he shook his head. "Going to town, getting Robbie and Cat! Got a trick to show them, got a trick to show them!"

* * *

Tori ran into the schoolhouse and dragged Sikowitz's messenger bag over to his desk; she had insisted that she was tough enough to do it. Sikowitz trailed after her, shaking his head as the books and papers bumped along the wooden floor. Tori panted as she set it beside his desk, fanning herself with her cap and wiping her forehead. "Whatcha got in there, Sikowitz? Rocks?"

"Oh yes, little one. Big rocks that I'm going to make you practice with." Tori looked horrified and he laughed, ruffling her hair as he sat behind his desk and grabbed the satchel, pulling a couple books from within. "Don't worry, I'm joking."

"Aw, that's no fair! I still can't get them to do what I want." She pulled the stones from her pocket and set one on her palm, watching it levitate above her hand and spin lazily in place. She scowled and pushed more of the heat through her body, trying to force the stone to do a circle. It twisted faster in place and whizzed over Sikowitz's head to thunk against the wall and fall to the floor.

"You're trying too hard, Tori. You need to relax and just let it come to you. Don't try and force the stone to spin; you have to kind of...coax it, I guess. Stones are hard, solid, right?" Tori nodded and quirked her head to the side, not quite sure where he was going. "So, since they're so hard, you can't make them do anything they don't want to. You have to persuade them to do what you want."

"Kind of like with Jade? She doesn't do anything unless she wants to, so she's like a stone?"

Sikowitz laughed and ruffled her hair. "That's a very good analogy, little one. So how do you get Jade to do something she doesn't want to?"

Tori thought and her eyes lit up. "I ask her really nice and do this!" She turned wide amber eyes on him, the gold flecked orbs innocent and puppy like.

"Where'd you learn that?"

"Cat taught me! She says it works all the time on Robbie!"

"Oh, does she now?"

Tori nodded and skipped out to wait for her friend to arrive. Jade always came a few minutes early so they could talk and play, although lately she had been noticeably lackluster and quiet. In the month following Pru's death, Sikowitz had watched Jade's normally assertive and confident demeanor shift to a quiet and submissive one. Tori usually managed to pull Jade from her thoughts, but there still remained a shadow in her eyes that his oldest couldn't brighten.

He shook his head and turned to the papers in his hold until several older kids came in and greeted him. He asked a couple of them to set out the primers and paper and went out to find Tori and Jade, venturing behind the building where he almost always heard quiet giggles and soft chatter coming from.

He frowned as he drew closer to the tree they frequented, finding only one pair of bare feet dangling down. "Tori? What are you doing here by yourself? Where's Jade?" He stood beneath her and she looked down at him with sad eyes and a trembling lip.

"I don't know. She's always early, but she still hasn't come yet." Sikowitz reached up and Tori slid off the branch into his arms. "What if she's sick? Can I go see her, Sikowitz?"

"After school, little one. If she is sick, she won't be going anywhere today." Tori nodded unhappily and squirmed from his grasp, walking by herself around the building and inside to sit at her desk with her head down and hair curtaining to hide her face. Sikowitz began the lesson a few minutes later and kept shooting her concerned looks throughout the morning, releasing them once lunch came and watching her slink outdoors after everyone else had left.

Tori took her apple and rolled it in her palm as she walked outdoors, avoiding the groups of kids in favor of their tree. She had just settled into the V with her back against the trunk when she heard footsteps fast approaching.

"Hey, gypsy girl! Come down, I got something I wanna tell you!" She looked down and saw a familiar head of blonde hair framing a round face and wide, arrogant blue eyes staring up at her. "Well, are you deaf too? I got something to tell you!"

The girl put her hands on her hips as though that would intimidate Tori into coming down, but the brunette just rolled her eyes and bit into her apple. She heard the girl huff below her as she chewed and nearly missed her next words as she bit into the fruit again.

"You're a coward without _her _around, aren't you? You're scared of me 'cause you don't have her here to protect you." Tori nearly spit her food out, head swiveling to look at the blonde in disbelief. "Yeah, you won't do anything without her here 'cause you're just a big old coward!"

Tori's hands shook and a stray breeze tossed her hair about her head and sent the leaves shaking against each other. The blonde held her hair back as the wind buffeted her but held her ground, a dare in her cornflower eyes.

Tori shut her eyes as she fought back the rising heat in her chest and slowly descended the tree, standing in front of the girl with her apple clasped tightly in one hand. "I'm not afraid of you."

The girl sneered and looked Tori up and down, her shiny shoes and new dress in sharp contrast to Tori's bare toes peeking out from under her play worn pants and light shirt with its sleeves rolled up. "You don't know who I am, or you would be. My name's Alicia Tully, my daddy owns the hotel and tavern in town. I've got three older brothers too, and they don't like people who pick on me either. If you don't do what I say, I'll tell them you make fun of me and pull my hair and they'll come after you."

She stood arrogantly with an anticipatory gleam in her eye and Tori seethed. "No, I won't! I'm not scared of you or your family; I can look after myself."

"You can't do anything without that other girl with you, you're just a crybaby." Tori curled her fist and lowered her face, nails carving into the skin of the apple. "Crybaby, crybaby! Whatcha gonna do, go cry to teacher and tell on me? You're a tattletale, too! Come on tattletale, go tell Mr. Sikowitz you're a crybaby."

A malevolent expression curled her lip and twisted her features. "I'll tell _her_ that you're a crybaby, too. She won't like you then, she'll be friends with me and no one will like you anymore. I bet she only stays with you 'cause she feels sorry for you.

"She probably tells her family all about the stupid crybaby gypsy that hangs off her and laughs about you! I bet her mommy laughed and called you stupid, too!" The apple fell from Tori's hand as she dashed forward with a cry, eyes feral and teeth bared as the wind kicked up dust behind her.

* * *

Whoa, shit just got real. What's gonna happen? Only I know *snickers* You're gonna hafta wait and find out next week on...How the Worl-wait, wait wait! Wrong title, my bad. Next time, on Everyday Magic!

Till then, reviews are like presents, guys! They are lovely surprises, so don't forget to leave one! Ciao!


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